Eternal Earth
by windwhisprer
Summary: [ST9] Funny how a single incident can change an entire course of the future. 'Let's dance the dance of death, Goku, while the world falls to ruin around us.'
1. Chapter One

**Rating: **PG for some violence and swearing.

**Parings: **Slight ST/Goku and hints of Sanzo/Goku

**Warnings: **Violence, some swearing.

**Timeline: **AU-ish.Trails off from the 'Be there' arc.

**A/N: **Hello everyone. I've decided to try and new form with this new story. If it's handy, I might keep it. Anyway, this is my first attempt at a ST/Goku long story. I love the paring and it doesn't have nearly enough focus on it. This will get dark at points, with threatening angst later on. There might be hints of other parings, but the main focus will be on Seiten Taisei and Goku. Don't like? The back button's at the top of your screen.

Enjoy. C&C appreciated.

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**Eternal Earth **

**Chapter One**

It was only a few weeks after Sanzo brought Goku down from the mountain that it happened. It was understandable if you looked at the circumstances. The boy had been locked away in a craggy stone prison, all around him cool stone. Nothing to heat him through winter and the cold nights. He had never lived through temperatures higher then lukewarm, so it was no wonder the boy fell ill shortly after they'd arrived at Chang'an.

It was a nasty fever which held him in a tight grip. He hadn't been able to difference between reality and delusion as he lay bonded to the wet sheets, his hair pasted to his temples as he attempted to fight off his illness. Sanzo had been reluctant to help the boy—deciding that he could probably get better on his own. Though after a few days he finally caved, and attempted to help the monkey get better. His efforts seemed in vain, however, as Goku only appeared to be getting sicker with each day that went by. Sanzo was almost to the point of calling a doctor. Almost.

It was into his third week of sickness that Goku found himself having strange delusions that confused him to no end. He feared he was going to die. It was while he was unconscious, his mind seemed to slip, and he found himself standing in a realm of darkness. Panic gripped the young boy, and he thought for sure he had died.

That was when a low chuckle echoed through the dark crevices of the black abyss. Goku squeaked, demanding to know who it was that spoke to him. As he flipped around, Goku swore he was looking into a living reflection. The monster behind him stood with cat-like eyes hidden beneath chocolate brown locks. Like his own hair, the demon's fell down his back in a matted mess, uncombed. It was a mane. A mane of a creature too terrifying to name. He stood in simple jeans, and a light black top, with sharp claws and accented fangs. Goku wondered if this strange creature was going to kill him, and he took a step back in fear.

"My dear, dear, Goku," the creature said in a low, guttural tone that sent shivers up Goku's spine. It stood from its seated position on the floor, and stood. This horrifying demon seemed to be an inch shorter then him. Goku would have found it funny were it not terrifying. "Are you afraid of me?"

Goku couldn't let out much more then a squeak, praying more then anything that this was simply another delusion. "Who… who are you?" his own voice sounded so weak compared to the powerful roar of the beast within him.

A low laughter escaped the boy, a rumbling chuckle that rose from his throat, spreading out over the darkness like a layer of dirt. He took a step forwards and Goku took one back. "Why Goku," the creature's tone sounded absolutely amused. "I'm you of course."

"No…" Goku breathed, shaking his head wildly as though his pure denial could change the truth. "You aren't me. You…. you're that creature that Sanzo told me about."

The demon chuckled again. Within a week he had managed to break free of his own prison, and almost succeeded in killing Sanzo, had the monk not thought to restrain him with the limiter again. He cursed the man under his breath, but had long ago allowed his annoyance to simmer into a dull rage. Smiling, the creature took a step towards him, then another until he was circling the boy, who still looked uncertain. "You are right. In a way, I am not you, but in another, we are the same."

Goku simply shot him a confused look.

The demon shook his head. "Never mind. I know the concept is too difficult for you to understand." The creature paused, stopping in front of Goku and looking up at him with a small smile. "You may call me Seiten Taisei."

Goku frowned, darting his eyes away and gnawing on the inside of hiss lip nervously. "What do you want from me?"

Seiten Taisei smiled. "From you? Nothing, dear boy. I simply want to help you. If nothing is done about this fever, you will die."

Goku looked nervous. "How can you help me?"

Seiten Taisei cocked his head to the side, and Goku suddenly thought he looked like nothing more then a kitten. "I can lend you some of my power, and get rid of this fever, but you shall have to do something for me in return."

At the concept of a deal, Goku blinked, staring at his alter ego with a small frown. "What is it you want?"

"Nothing now, you don't have anything I don't already have," the demon purred, taking a seat back on the ground, seated on all fours—no less. Seiten Taisei looked up at him, and Goku could only stare on him in awe. "But one day, I will ask a favor from you, Goku, and I will not take no for an answer. And until then," Seiten Taisei suddenly sprung forwards grasping Goku's wrist and causing him to cry out. Seiten merely smiled. "You _belong _to me."

---

Goku awoke with a start, bolting upright and gasping for air. His eyes were wide; his heart thundering and sweat trickling down the sides of his face. Was that a nightmare? A delusion? As Goku began to calm his irregular breathing, a sharp burn caused him to hiss. Turning his attention down to his wrist, he found blood had dried itself all down his arm, staining the white sheets crimson.

He stared in shock at what had been burnt into his wrist. It was small, but it was there.

The Japanese kanji _Ryouyuu._

_Possession. _

---

"Say my name."

The next few weeks passed easily. Despite Sanzo's coldness towards Goku, the young boy seemed intent on staying by his side. He was often caught tugging on his robe, picking him flowers or drawing messily on his documents. The blond had been furious when Goku had shown him the picture he'd drawn on an apparently important document. Goku had gone to bed that night with more then a few cuffs to the head. Sanzo seemed intent on driving him off, but Goku didn't want to leave. He'd finally found his sun after so long, and to hell if he was being driven off so easily.

"No."

Eventually, Sanzo got in the habit of sending Goku to bed without dinner every time the boy drew on his documents. _This_ had been an inconvenience. Goku had told the monk over and over how hungry he was after so long without food, but the monk insisted that if he continued to draw on all his papers then he would continue being sent to bed without food. Needless to say Goku dropped the drawing fetish fairly quickly. Though on some days when Goku couldn't find any blank paper, he'd drawn on the man's documents, and then hide them before Sanzo could hit him for it.

"_Please._"

"No."

Goku had even ventured to be brave enough to pick the man a flower. A bright violet flower that matched his eyes. The second Goku had laid eyes on it; he found it matched Sanzo perfectly. He'd picked it, then run straight back to the temple, hoping to give it to his sun quickly. He'd fallen part way back and tore up both of his knees, but pushed himself to his feet again, continuing back towards the temple. The second he entered Sanzo's office, the man had yelled at him, saying he was dragging blood through the room.

"_Pretty please?_"

"Piss off, monkey."

After his knees had been patched up, Goku had diligently offered him the flower. Sanzo had scoffed and said he didn't need such things, but Goku insisted. Sighing, the man brought it back into his office, Goku on his heels. It was when Sanzo pulled out a book, and proceeded to crush his precious flower between the heavy leather bound pages did Goku let out a shriek.

"_Sanzo! You wreaked the flower!" _

"_Shut up monkey, I'm just preserving it." _

"_Preserving?" _

"_It means it'll last longer." _

"…_So… you'll have it forever?" _

"…_Ch' yeah… forever." _

"Sanzo!"

"Shut up and go away."

The monk had even gone so far as to buy the boy some new clothes. Goku remembered heading out to town with the man, grinning like mad as they explored all the shops, stores, and _restaurants_. Sanzo had smacked him several times for wandering off, stating that they were there to get him some new clothes, not for him to go out and eat everything in sight.

They eventually got him fitted with a nice red Chinese styled outfit that would be easy for the boy to move in. Sanzo had bought several more outfits—jeans, shirts, and a formal outfit he doubted the boy would ever use. As they headed back to Chang'an, Goku had honestly felt spoiled.

"…Will you say it now?"

"Don't make me kill you."

Everything had been going great, save for the fact that the infuriating blond had refused to say his name! He'd been referring to him as 'monkey' or 'brat' or 'idiot.' No matter how hard Goku tried the man refused to call him by his name. Goku found it increasingly upsetting.

He'd been following the man around all morning, tugging on his robes and not giving up until the man had enough decency to say his name at least once. But Sanzo seemed insist on calling him 'monkey,' and Goku's patience was wearing thin. After several hours, and a lot of smacks, Goku had given up for the day, and gone outside to play.

It was getting dark by the time Goku began to head back towards the temple. When he did, Goku noticed something was wrong. The scent of blood was thick in the air, and he could see fires licking up from the temple grounds. Fearful for his sun's safety, Goku charged off towards the temple.

He raced through the front entrance to the ground, frightened at the sight of bandits running amuck through the temple ground. Already the bodies of monks were everywhere, and Goku could only pray that Sanzo was not among them. A bandit called out to him, laughing away as he brought his sword in the air, but Goku was quick to react. He slammed his knee into the guy's face with enough force to knock him out. As he landed, he could hear gunshots from not so far away.

"Sanzo!" he cried, hurrying towards the sound, pausing at the sight of his savior surrounded by bandits, holding his bleeding arm while glaring and directing his gun towards one of them. Immediate anger sparked, and Goku tore towards the men, slamming kicks and punches so hard that cracks and snaps were heard. After finally nailing the last of them, Goku landed softly on the ground, only slightly short of breath. Turning towards his sun, he worried about the slash on the monk's arm, but it looked fairly shallow and it had already stopped bleeding.

"We still have more of them to deal with, monkey," Sanzo snarled, turning to head towards the front of the temple. "Come on."

Goku was quick to hurry after him. Pausing momentarily, he bent down to get himself a weapon. Clutching a spear of a bandit, he attempted to snap the metal tip off. He was struggling with it, and Sanzo seemed to sense this, as he turned to find out what was taking his charge so long. As soon as he caught sight of the boy, he cursed.

"Goku, you idiot! _Move!_"

Goku turned just in time to see the glint of metal as an axe descended towards him. Flipping out of the way, the axe just barely missed him, crashing into the ground below. Sanzo shot the man quickly, allowing the body to fall to the ground. Goku found his breathing came in labored as he turned to look up at his guardian. "Sanzo…" he breathed.

"Let's go," Sanzo said strictly. "I'm not sure if there are any left, and there are some idiots bleeding to death that need attending to."

Goku bounded to his feet, trailing after the man, unable to stop his grin from spreading further. "You said my name."

"Shut up, idiot," Sanzo snapped, as he continued towards the front of the building.

"You did!" Goku accused, still smiling brightly. "You said my name—say it again."

"No."

"Please?"

"Shut up and die."

Despite the carnage all around them, Goku could not stop the grin from practically cracking his face as he carried on after the blond, heading towards the front of the temple. "Sanzo said my name… Sanzo said my name…" he sang out, causing the blond to frown, and mumble out a string of curses that would've made the monks faint were they conscious.

And when Sanzo turned his eyes down to the boy, Goku could only grin up at him stupidly.

Reflecting back, maybe Sanzo should have shot the boy right then. Before he got too attached, and before everything began to spiral down into madness. He could've shot and killed Goku, and he could've just blamed it on the bandits and no one would think a thing on it. But he didn't. Maybe if he had, then everything wouldn't have fallen into ruin. Lilith wouldn't have been reborn. Seiten Taisei would have never grinned down upon him and asked him how it felt to lose everything.

Hell, he wouldn't have _lost_ everything in the first place.

Instead, he merely scoffed, called the boy and idiot and bent down to help the nearby monks on the ground.

He _should_ have shot Goku. But he didn't. Who could blame him?

Who would imagine that such an innocent child could bring about the end of the world?


	2. Chapter Two

**Rating:** PG

**Warnings: **Shower scene? xD Nothing really.

**Parrings: **Slight Sanzo/Goku. Not much ST/Goku

**A/N: **For later in this chpater, Siddhartha is one of the first Buddhas, and quite popular. I'm not an expert in Buddhist, but I've read my fair share of books. Also, the OC near th bottom doesn't really play an maindstream role, but he will be important later on. I hope everyone doesn't mind that I'm bringing even more OC's into my stories. He's fun, I swear.

Anyway, C&C appreaciated.

**

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**Eternal Earth**

**Chapter Two**

"Ow—Sanzo! Stop pulling!"

"Shut up and sit down and maybe this won't hurt."

After three years of being in the man's care, Goku had learned when it was a good time to argue, and when he should simply sit down and do as he was told. A lot of the time he did the latter, because he hated making Sanzo angry. Defying the monk almost felt _wrong_. And it wasn't just because of the sound beatings the man delivered every once in a while. He liked to think that if he did everything Sanzo said, then the man might smile one day. Goku couldn't wait to see that.

Goku relaxed almost instantly at the touch that came to his head. He resisted the temptation to begin purring, as Sanzo had always told him how creepy it was when he purred. So he simply melted into the man's touch, then letting out a loud yelp as a brush caught knots.

"Sanzo! What're ya doing?" he snapped, pulling away as thought intent on finding out what sort of torture the man was inflicting on him.

Sanzo's hands forced him to sit again, and he growled softly. "Shut up and sit still, money, I'm just brushing it." At the whine that sounded from Goku's throat, the monk continued, "It's a rat's nest and I'm brushing it whether or not I have to hold you down to do it."

Goku frowned, clearly distressed with the idea, before relaxing into the man's touch. The occasional snare caught him to wince, but otherwise his body completely relaxed. _"Ug…" _came the soft grumble deep within the back of his mind. He recognized the voice instantly. _"The monk wouldn't know 'gentle' if it smacked him upside the head, would he?"_

Goku allowed a soft smile to cross his features at the demon within his mind. Seiten Taisei. Over a year ago, the demon had somehow tapped into Goku's conscious mind, and the pair had grown exceedingly close because of their conversations. Often when Goku was alone, or shunned out by Sanzo, Seiten would be there, whispering sweet nothings or bashing Sanzo loudly. And often during long, boring days within the temple walls, his continuous commentary would provide the young man with someone to talk to whenever Sanzo was too busy or away on a mission. Seiten had quickly become Goku's best friend, if not more.

_Now, now, _Goku told it silently. _He's trying his best. _

It seemed that most of the knots had been cleared away, and the long brushes through his hair were soothing. Goku leaned back against the blond slightly, receiving himself a small grumble and nothing more. Despite his best attempts, Goku found himself purring softly at the contact. It was rare for Sanzo to do something so simple, so soothing. Something so calming. It was so strange, so completely un-Sanzo-like, and yet completely normal. Goku figured he must've lost his mind.

All too soon the brushing stopped, and Sanzo stood, crossing the room. He seemed to be collecting his sutra, and his gun. Goku felt the back of his head, and realized that Sanzo had tied his hair back with a small bow. He couldn't hide the small smile that once again crept upon his lips. Without a second thought, he bounded to his feet. "Where are we goin', Sanzo?" he asked brightly, unable to hide his enthusiasm as he watched the monk tuck several more bullets away in his sleeve.

Instead of the usual, 'you're not going anywhere' remark, Goku was surprised to hear Sanzo say, "On another mission. The Sanbustushin want me to get rid of a troublesome demon, so I have to travel south for ten days."

Goku's joy only seemed to escalate at the monk's words. "Really? Then can I come?"

Sanzo turned to look at him, and let a smirk cross his handsome features. "Of course," he said, causing Goku's eyes to brighten. "After all, I'm going to need a pack mule."

Goku's smile faded immediately, replaced with a pouting frown as his face turned red with embarrassment and anger. It did not help to hear his other self chuckling dryly from the back of his mind, only adding to his embarrassment. _Shut up, you, _he told the demon silently, before his annoyance popped, and he stomped his foot in anger.

"San_zo_," he whined childishly. "I'm not a mule! And I'm not a monkey! I'm Goku, not an animal!"

Amusement flickered through violet pools before the monk turned, and began heading towards the door. Goku watched him go, frowning softly as he opened the door, shooting him a look over his shoulder. "Fine then. If you're going to be a child, you can stay behind."

He then turned, and began heading down the hall.

As Sanzo's words began to sink in, Goku let out a shriek. A nasal shriek that dragged on to sound like a squeal. He quickly turned, hurrying down the hallways after the blond. "I'm sorry Sanzo!" he cried hurriedly, ignoring Seiten Taisei's chuckling as he did so. "I'm a monkey! Just don't leave me _behiiiiiiiiind!_"

---

It had been a grueling nine day trek as they headed across the countryside. They had to walk, as the monks in the temple offered little else to use for travel. Not even a bloody horse could be spared. Goku hadn't minded the atrocious walk, but Sanzo had constantly needed to take a break. The smoking had been getting to him, and Goku had even been brave enough to suggest he cut back, only to receive a quick smack over the back of his head.

It felt like forever until the pair finally arrived in a village. Both had been unmistakably relieved, for separate reasons, and headed out to find an inn almost immediately. Sanzo ordered two separate rooms, stating that he needed some privacy. Goku didn't mind, and immediately headed up to take a shower.

It felt great to wash the dirt from the last nine days from his skin. They hadn't been able to pass any villages, and that had caused them both to get caked in mud and dirt, along with putting them both in a sour mood thanks to the lack of luxuries. For the first few minutes, Goku allowed the water to simply run over his body, soothing his sore muscles, and rinsing the dirt from his skin. Goku ran his fingers along his arms, attempting to rid himself of the filth.

"_It usually works better if you use soap." _A voice cooed from deep within his mind.

Goku could only chuckle softly, resting his back against the stall of the shower, closing his eyes and allowing the water to pelt his chest freely. It felt like a mini-massage. "You," he drawled on lazily, his voice sounded muffled by the downpour of water, "Need to learn to shut your mouth."

Seiten Taisei scoffed, and Goku could practically feel him rolling his eyes. _"This coming from the one who never shuts up? Have you grown bored of my presence, Goku? Is that why you don't want to talk to me lately?" _

Goku frowned softly, not exactly liking the jealousy and spite that had wormed its way into Seiten Taisei's tone. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he asked, "You know that's not it. What's wrong with you?"

A low growl emitted from deep within the recesses of his mind. The sound of it sent shivers up Goku's spine despite the hot water. _"I'm not sure, that's what's bothering me," _the demon said darkly. Goku said nothing, waiting for Seiten to elaborate. _"Something's not right about this town. Or these people. I don't know what it is, and it's bothering me." _

Goku could only frown questionably, deciding to wash his hair before the water turned cold. Reaching out, he grasped the bottle, squirting the substance into his hand and working it through his long tresses. It reminded him of the way Sanzo had been combing his hair over a week ago, though this was far from as comforting. "I didn't smell anything when we came in," he said, though knowing that Seiten Taisei would have already known that.

"_Exactly. But the aura seems off somehow," _the demon mumbled.

Goku blinked. "I didn't sense anything," he said bluntly.

"_Of course you wouldn't. You're still a child." _

At this, Goku felt immediate anger flare up, and he clenched his fists. Growing softly, he snapped. "I am not a child!" he yelled, the sound bouncing back at him within the small shower stall. His outburst stunned Seiten into silence for a moment. "I hate it when everybody says that! I'm not a child, I'm not a monkey, and I'm not an idiot!"

Seiten remained silent for a moment longer, before a rumble that sounded like a cross between a purr and a growl rose. _"Goku," _the demon said soothingly. Goku hated that tone. It meant Seiten Taisei was trying to calm him down—stop a tantrum. He hated it when the demon did that, because it made him feel like nothing more then an immature toddler. _"You're going to have to accept the fact that my skills are farther advanced then yours are. I can sense things, smell things, and see things you won't be able to. It's just the way we were built. Every time you grow stronger, so do I. And I hate to anger you, Goku, but those around you—including myself—will continue to regard you as a child so long as you continue to throw tantrums." _

Goku snarled, rinsing the shampoo from his hair. "Shut up."

"_Yelling at me is not going to make you feel better," _Seiten warned him. _"But if it so pleases you, I shall depart, and leave you in peace." _

Goku was about to open his mouth to apologize, but he could already feel the presence of the demon leaving his consciousness, hiding back in some far corner of his mind where he couldn't hear or see anything. Goku sighed, falling back against the stall and closing his eyes. Great. He upset Seiten, again. Goku hated angering the demon as much as he hated doing it to Sanzo. Running his fingers through his wet hair, Goku decided to get out. The water was already beginning to run cold anyway.

Shutting off the water, Goku stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist and towel-drying his hair. Shaking the last droplets from his head, he turned his attention up towards the mirror. Long brown strands of hair clung to his shoulders and down his back. Water ran down his chest, pasting his hair to his skin and absorbing into the towel around his waist. His diadem set out amongst his pasted mass of chocolate locks, shining as though it had just been polished. Removing that single item… could cause disaster. Seiten Taisei had told him what truly happened when he removed it. The normally focused demon became a monster, his bloodlust and memories of heaven shooting at him so quickly he couldn't even see. All he could do was listen to the infuriating sounds of heartbeats pounding in his head. The only relief—he found—was to stop those heartbeats.

Goku's heart went out to his other self, wondering what it must be like to completely be taken over with grief, insanity and bloodlust—unable to focus or see or even _think _properly. Goku shivered, though the temperature in the room was anything but chilly.

He turned, heading out down the hall into his room. Closing and locking the door, he quietly changed into an easy pair of black pants, and a light cotton t-shirt. He wanted to relax before they had to set out again for the proper village. Goku stepped out towards the mirror, grabbing the hair-tie that sat on the shelf. He looked at the long, strangled tresses hanging down his back, and then looked to the comb that sat disregarded. Truthfully, he could brush his own hair, but it always felt weird, and Sanzo would complain that there would always be a clump of knots that he'd forgotten, and the hair tie would be wonky and tilted, not done properly. Besides, Goku liked it better when Sanzo did his hair.

Silently, he grabbed the brush, turning and scurrying across the hall. He didn't bother to knock as he stepped into Sanzo's room. The monk was seated at the small table set up, his glasses in place and his newspaper in front of him. Smiling softly, he crossed the room, and without a word, he extended the brush and hair tie. Sanzo looked from the items, up to the boy's face and cursed softly. He placed the newspaper aside, removing his glasses before motioning for the boy to sit in front of him. Goku complied, fingering the hair tie as Sanzo began to work through the knots in his hair.

"Sanzo…?" Goku whispered finally, wincing as Sanzo hit another snare. "What kinda demon are we hunting?" Despite the fact that he was whispering, Goku felt like he was screaming the room was so silent.

Sanzo said nothing for a moment, simply working through Goku's long hair. "A bad one," he said, before continuing. "It's apparently pretty powerful, and has been killing humans by the dozens."

"How?" Goku replied, allowing his eyes to slide closed as Sanzo simply began running the brush through the straightened hair, comforting to the both of them.

Sanzo paused, his eyes focused down on his task. "It's been blowing their bodies apart. No on can figure out how he does it." There was silence for a moment, before finally Sanzo spoke again, "Give me the tie."

Goku handed it to him obediently, and Sanzo began tying his hair into a ponytail. "Can we go get dinner now?" Goku asked hopefully, his stomach letting out a soft grumble in agreement.

Sanzo shoved the boy as he finished, signaling for Goku to stand. The boy did so, readily turning back to the blond as he grunted his acceptance and stood. Goku grinned, bounding towards the door as the blond followed slowly, as though he wasn't with the exuberant young teen at all.

The pair headed down the stairs, and found themselves a table. A waitress came around, handing them both menus before dashing off. Goku forced himself to act like an adult as he read the menu. He eyed Sanzo occasionally, before turning back to his menu. He asked Sanzo brightly how much he could get, and the blond muttered quietly that he wasn't allowed more then what three grown men would eat. The boy could easily eat twice that, and still complain about hunger, but Sanzo wasn't exactly made of money, and he couldn't afford the boy to eat the restaurant out of business.

After they ordered, the pair sat. Goku chattered on, smiling simply in the rare chance he got to spend with his savior. Surprisingly, the man did not find him annoying, and the pair struck up a conversation. It wasn't all that intelligent, but Goku was glad for it all the same.

It was part-way through dinner that Goku got the inkling feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was a simple prickle up his spine, but it was there. It caused Goku to shudder, but a moment later it was gone and Goku wondered if it had ever been there in the first place.

Dinner had ended peacefully, and Sanzo had gone outside for an after dinner smoke, as Goku decided to head up towards his room. He made his way up the stairs, not surprised—just startled—to find a young man leaning against a wall, flipping a coin over and over, as though casually waiting for something. Goku paid him no mind as he headed up towards his room. Just as he passed the man, he spoke, "Interesting, wouldn't you say?"

Goku's brows furrowed as he turned back to look at him. "What?"

The man smiled simply, his dark green eyes glinting devilishly as he flipped the coin again, catching it in the same palm. "I was just thinking, it's interesting how easily something can be determined."

At this, Goku shot him a bewildered stare. "What are you talking about?"

The man smiled, closing his eyes. His hair, which was a deep-charcoal color, lay sprawled across his fair face, making him seem ghostly in appearance. A single silver band ran around his forehead, not unlike Goku's own coronet. "Why, fate, of course." As Goku continued to stare, he elaborated. "Something can happen, a simple incident that can change the entire course of history. I mean, if Siddhartha had never stepped outside of the palace, and saw the pitiful world he lived in, he would have never reached enlightenment, and become a Buddha. Funny, don't you think?"

Again, the boy seemed lost. "Okay…" he muttered, still wondering why this man was talking to him.

"I'm just trying to say," the emerald-eyed man said finally, opening said eyes and peering down at Goku. "Something as insignificant as a meeting could change an entire course of history. The fate of the world rests on the flip of a coin." He then flicked the coin in his hand out towards the boy, and Goku caught it on instinct.

"My name's S­un Wuk­o­ng. Call me Wuu," Wukong said simply, winking. Goku blinked, swearing he caught a flash of gold in the man's eyes. He must've imagined it. "I shall see you soon, Son Goku."

Wukong turned, and descended the stairs. Goku watched him go for a moment, before turning back to the coin in his hand. Turning it over in his fingers, he yelped when it all but disintegrated in his hand. Frowning, Goku turned his glare towards where the man disappeared to, wondering what in heaven's name he was. After a moment, the young man sighed, turning towards his room once again.


	3. Chapter Three

**Rating:** PG-13

**Warnings: **Just blood, a bit of gore, and some swearing.

**Parrings: **Oc/Oc

**A/N: **Teehee, I brought another Oc into this chapter, because they kind of go hand-in-hand. You'll understand later. Also, this chapter mostly just sticks to action, with not much relationship-ness. That stuff comes later. All this is still pretty much the build-up. The plot will come into play soon, don't worry.

C&C appreciated.

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**Eternal Earth **

**Chapter Three**

It had begun some time late into the night. Goku had been dozing heavily, when Seiten had jolted him from his sleep with a quick, sharp, _"HEY!"_ The noise ripping through his mind so suddenly, Goku was only able to sit up, tangling himself further into the sheets, and landing with a dull _thunk_ on the floor. He lay unmoving for a moment, simply groaning and pulling the sheets off the bed to make himself comfortable on the floor, as getting up and pulling himself back in bed would take far too much energy.

"_Goku!" _the voice in his mind barked again, causing Goku to moan and attempt to bury his face in the crook of his elbow to escape it._ "You idiot! Get up! Something's here!" _

Goku moaned softly. "Jus' a few more minutes…" he mumbled.

He dimly heard Seiten Taisei growl, before something shot through his mind, causing him to yelp and sit up, clutching the pillow to him as he began to blink the sleep from his eyes. "Okay… okay…" he slurred, yawning and blinking himself awake. "I'm up…"

"_Good. Now get dressed quickly. There's a horrible stench in this inn, and I want it dealt with." _

As Goku began to wake up, he caught the scent that Seiten was so upset about, and he scowled softly. Rising to his feet, he quickly changed, not even bothering to turn on the lights for fear it would give him away. After pulling his hair back messily into a ponytail, he turned and opened the door, stepping out into the hall. Glancing down each way, he found nothing out of the ordinary, save for the scent had grown stronger. Not even bothering to pause, he padded across the hall, opening Sanzo's door.

He wasn't surprised to find the monk already up and dressed, reloading the gun in his hand. He looked up sharply as Goku entered, nodding to confirm that he sensed it too. Sanzo quickly pulled on his sandals, before the pair turned and was out into the hall. Their senses were on high alert, prepared to take anything that would come at them. But as they continued down the hall, they found there was nothing but silence, and the dim scent of demons hiding out somewhere. Somewhere they couldn't reach.

It smelt like the demon was _everywhere_, and that was what seemed to unsettle Goku the most. There was no way the demon could be all around them, but then again, could it? As Goku's mind began to get carried away with conflicting thoughts, his senses began to focus until he could smell the demon coming from one singular spot.

"_There!" _

Even if Seiten had not cried out, Goku would have been able to sense it anyway. Flipping around, he managed to catch the demon's claws before they were driven into his chest, but could not stop the force as they both tumbled backwards, rolling before the demon was on top of him, pinning him to the ground as it attempted to drive its claws into Goku's face. Goku held the thing back, before a shot echoed through the room. The demon abruptly disappeared before the gunshot whizzed through where it was supposed to be, narrowly missing Goku's shoulder. Goku took a moment to catch his breath, before standing upright and preparing himself. The demon could be anywhere now, and his scent filtered through the entire inn like an air freshener.

Goku's eyes were wide as he took in any nick and cranny that might've looked unusual. The demon could be anywhere, and Goku wasn't sure he liked his ability to appear and disappear at will. Goku held his hand out, calling his staff and waiting quietly. As the scent focused again, he turned, watching as the demon lunged out towards Sanzo in the dim light. Sanzo shot at it twice, but the bullets seemed to go right through the demon as it lunged through the air, sinking its fangs into Sanzo's shoulder. The monk let out a grunt, his footing failing as he fell to the ground. Goku was quick to slam his Niyou-bou up the thing's head, allowing it to be hurled back and land on the wooden floor with a growl.

It was more an animal then a demon, with long dark hair that traveled down its back in knots, its eyes slanted and crazed with bloodlust, and large fangs protruding its lips. And it was mad. It charged at him, and Goku swung his Niyou-bou, cursing when it hit the wall. He couldn't fight here. He managed to push the demon back, growling as it disappeared again. Taking a moment, he turned to inspect Sanzo's shoulder, but the man pushed him back, stating that he was fine.

The pair turned, heading down the stairs and outside into the fresh night atmosphere. Goku breathed in the refreshing scent, but continued to keep himself on guard. Sanzo gripped his shoulder, and Goku glanced at him from out of the corner of his eye. It looked fairly shallow, and Goku knew it would probably stop bleeding within a minute. Sanzo would be fine, he had to worry about this troublesome demon that continued to blip in and out of existence. He frowned deeply, watching with wide eyes, waiting for the demon to strike again.

The attack came out of nowhere, and Goku could do little more then hold his staff up in defense as the demon rammed him, wrapping its fingers around his neck and digging his claws into his skin. Goku coughed a moment, thrown back against a nearby wall as he struggled to throw the demon off. It continued to push him deeper into the building, and Goku could only curse the demon's strength. A shot suddenly rang out, and the demon above him gave a screech, before blipping back out of existence. Goku coughed, turning back to Sanzo with a thankful look. The monk brushed it off.

"Nicked him," he muttered, eyes scanning the area, waiting for the next attack.

The demon appeared suddenly, running towards Sanzo with a vicious snarl. It wanted revenge for the injury, and it wasn't about to take no for an answer. Goku growled, running out and slamming Niyou-bou straight into the demon's chest. He could only let out a startled cry when the staff went through the demon, and it continued running. It was like he hit a ghost. "Sanzo!" he cried, turning towards the monk who was readying his gun.

The man grunted in response, narrowly dodging a swipe of angry claws, before slamming his gun out towards the thing. It went right through him, before the demon attempted for another punch. Goku watched Sanzo slam the butt of his gun into the demon, ramming him towards the ground, already forming his conclusion. The demon was slipping through plains as attacks came at him, making him untouchable. But when he wanted to attack, he brought his physical form back, long enough for him to make his hit. He already knew how he had to end this.

Sanzo seemed to have come to the same conclusion, as he backed off, reloading his gun. "Goku!" he cried, watching as the demon slowly rose to his feet, eyeing both parties as though deciding which one he should strike. "Distract him!"

Goku smiled, bursting forwards with his staff and slamming it straight into the demon. He wasn't surprised to watch it disappear right through the thing, before a clawed hand hit his own, knocking the staff away. Goku grit his teeth, moving to punch when the demon caught his fist. Another clawed hand grabbed his shoulder, and Goku's eyes widened a fracture. What the hell did it think it was doing? The demon only smiled cockily, before Goku could feel fire exploding from every part of his body. He could barely chock back a yell, glaring at the demon in front of him. Now he understood. The demon was trying to pull him through the plains with him. But Goku's body wasn't built for that, so it was sonly tearing him apart from the inside out.

The demon pushed harder, attempting to drag him through the tear in dimensions. It only caused a scream to rip through Goku's throat, as the fire expanded into a burning explosion. It felt as though his limbs were slowly being torn off, inch by agonizing inch. He could practically hear the demon hissing in his ear, describing the ways his body was breaking apart from the pressure. Goku could feel his mind blanking at the absolute pain that ripped through him, and could feel his entire being wiped away. All he knew now was this endless, endless pain.

He could hear Sanzo dimly screaming his name, though he knew not where from. He could feel the blood dripping down from various spots on his body, probably from where the skin was tearing in pressure. His screams grew louder as the demon pushed harder, trying to blow him apart from the inside out.

Goku suddenly understood the demon they were searching for.

He could hear Seiten Taisei screaming along with him. His screams a guttural sound, but no less painful. _"Make it stop!" _he heard the demon shout. _"I can't take this anymore!" _

Goku could feel hot tears making their way down his face. It was would live through this, he'd regret shedding them later. But now all he could do was scream, and scream, and scream, until his vision was swallowed by light.

---

Wukong leaned back against a nearby building, his arms clutched tightly to his chest as he listened to Goku scream. Closing his eyes, he tried to push the anguish from his mind, but he could not. There was only Goku's screams to haunt him, piercing some deep inside for forever more. He would not sleep easily. Opening his emerald eyes, he watched Goku's joints begin to leak blood, his eyes rolling back in pure, absolute _pain_. Sanzo was screaming at him from behind, attempting to do anything he could. His efforts were falling flat.

The young man watched him writhe where he was, feeling an utmost guilt well up inside him. This was wrong. This was _so very wrong_. A gentle hand was laid on his shoulder, and Wukong gripped it tightly, relishing in the comfort it had to offer. His eyes did not stray from the figures in front of him as Sanzo began chanting, his scripture coming alive. "This is wrong, Xuanzang, it's so… wrong."

The young brown-eyed man behind him stepped to his side, glancing at the younger out of the corner of his eye before sighing, turning and watching Goku crumple to the ground, the demon all but blow away by Sanzo's power. Xuanzang squeezed Wukong's shoulder reassuringly, understanding the younger's pain. "I know, Wuu, but this is Buddha's will."

"Screw Buddha's will!" Wukong snapped, pulling away and shooting the older a dark glare. It was all but lost on the man's calm, brown eyes. Still, he managed to keep up his annoyance, fisting his hands at his sides. "This was never supposed to happen! He's a fucking kid, much younger then I was. They were supposed to have a chance, Xuan, not like us…. Not like me…"

Xuanzang was calm, and regarded his young pupil evenly. "Wuu," he said calmingly, causing the dark haired man's eyes to dart away in shame. "That sort of attitude got you in trouble the last time. Do you want to go through the same trials as before?"

Wukong pressed his lips together, before sighing. "No…"

"Then we can do little more then watch," he reached out, grasping the young man's hand and bringing the fingers to his lips. Wukong's eyes flickered up to him, and Xuanzang offered him a smile. "We can do little more then wait, and watch."

"Just like we watched Bajie and Wujing die? I'm sick of waiting, Xuan, I want to help them," his sentence trailed off into a soft whine as he turned to look over at Sanzo collecting Goku in his arms. "I want them to have what we didn't."

A balled fist hit him lightly on the head, and Wukong turned back towards Xuanzang, frowning at the man's soft smile. "Have you learned anything, monkey? I would think that so long in my company has taught you patience, and acceptance?"

"One can only accept so much," Wukong shot back, frowning. He was determined to prove his point, whether or not Xuan liked it.

This caused the blond-haired man to sigh, turning back towards the pair out before them. "Yes, I do agree with you, Wuu," he said softly, before closing his eyes. "If the gods find out…" he breathed, before opening his eyes and looking up towards the young, dark-haired man who's eyes took on a golden appeal, only a tiny amount of emerald glinting through. "We shall watch, and when we can help, we will. But this is their battle, not ours, understand?" he asked, making sure his words got through with another gentle bop on the head.

The boy let out a cheeky grin. "Yes, thank you, O Honorable Xuanzang."

The man laughed goodheartedly. "I thought we gave up respect a long time ago, my little monkey?"

Wukong wrapped his arms around Xuanzang's shoulder, resting his head atop his shoulders and smiling, nipping at his neck. He muttered something of agreement, but was too busy biting the man's ear. This proceeded to get him a flick on the forehead, and a small chuckle. "Wuu, what would Buddha say?" Xuan asked him.

Wukong grinned mischievously. "He would say, 'that horrible Sun Wukong has been up to no good again, and should be punished for another million years.' Then he'll realize I stole his peaches again."

Pushing the sound of Xuanzang's scolding from his ears, he turned his attention back to the pair out before him, and he smiled. _Good luck, Son Goku. You're certainly going to need it. _


	4. Chapter Four

**Rating: **T

**Parings: **hinted Sanzo/Goku

**Warnings: **Blood and swearing, curtsey of Sanzo.

**A/N: **Here's another chapter for you guys. I just wanted to say, first of all, that EoS has taken over the Beta-ing for this story, so feel free to luff her. Hopefully with her help I can keep this as dark and as twisted as possible, without putting too many 'could onlys' in it. XD

C&C appreciated.

**

* * *

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**Eternal Earth **

**Chapter Four**

The only thought that crossed to his mind as consciousness began to return to him was that everything hurt.

It hurt to breathe, it hurt to think; hell, it hurt to just lie there absolutely still. But, the last thing Goku wanted to do was simply lie there. Seiten had always been annoyed at his moments of laziness, and had proceeded to give him a sharp jolt every time he decided to slack off. Deciding he didn't want to face Seiten's wrath, he peeled open his eyes.

His senses were assaulted by white ceilings and the scent of incense strongly in the air. Goku's brows furrowed in thought as he tried to place his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was being in that strange town in the middle of the night, fighting off the demon that they were hunting. He snorted at the thought that the hunters had become the hunted, as cheesy as it was. As he allowed himself to blink lazily, he decided to attempt to move. His entire body felt melted to the sheets below him, and he could feel the bandages that covered most of his body. Shifting slightly, he groaned as he ripped open a wound on his elbow, feeling the blood soak into his bandages.

With a grunt, Goku fell back into the sheets, looking up towards the ceiling once again. Moving was probably not the best idea, but he couldn't stand just lying in bed like this. His mind began to grow bored, and he decided to probe the one place for information he could fully rely on. _Seiten? _He called out in his mind, hearing no reply. _Seiten, are you there? _

Still no reply and Goku frowned. The attack must've taken a lot out of his alter ego as well, and decided he should leave him to recover. Frowning slightly, Goku turned his head to the side, surprised to find the familiar surroundings of his room in Chang'an. When had they gotten back? How long had he been asleep? Goku found the questions on his tongue as he turned his head slightly. He was not surprised to find Sanzo seated at a simple table, smoking silently and reading the newspaper. Goku took a moment to simply watch his keeper, before Sanzo sensed his gaze and turned towards him. The monk took the cigarette from his lips and put it out in a nearby ashtray.

"So," the monk said lazily, placing his newspaper down. "You're awake."

Goku couldn't help but crack a small smile. Damn, he thought, even that hurt. But to hell if he was going to let pain hold him back as he opened his mouth, and attempted to speak. "Hey," he whispered. His throat hurt like hell. It felt as though someone had the decency to clean his throat out with sandpaper while he was asleep. "How long was I out?"

"Two weeks," Sanzo said simply, rising to his feet and crossing towards the bedside table. It seemed he sensed Goku's distress, as he grabbed a glass of water and held it out to him. It seemed that Sanzo wanted him to drink it himself, which didn't surprise himSanzo was not a caring person, no matter how injured the other person was. Carefully, Goku lifted his arm, reaching out towards the glass. His arm burnt to life as the wounds all along his joints began breaking open and spilling blood. Though he could feel the wetness, it wasn't enough to begin staining through the material. He gladly brought the glass to his lips, drinking like he hadn't in years.

Sanzo took the glass back from him when he was done, placing it back on the table. Goku relaxed back into the sheets, though not allowing his eyes to stray from Sanzo. "What happened to the demon?" he asked softly, his voice eerily light, as though he were not a young teenager but a boy again.

Sanzo frowned, before standing, and grabbing his cigarettes from the table, lighting another one as he took his seat back at the table. "Dead," he said simply. "I was able to kill it while it was busy trying to mince you."

Goku didn't bother to nod, knowing he'd only rip open the wounds on his neck again. So he said nothing, before finally muttering, "Sorry."

Sanzo grunted, before rising to his feet and heading towards the door. "Don't apologize," he muttered, pausing at his spot and allowing Goku's eyes to worm their way up his form. "After all, what could I expect from just a kid?"

The words were spoken softly, and calmly, though Goku felt as though Sanzo had just screamed in his faceand beat him one hundred times with the fan. He watched the man disappear through the door, feeling an overwhelming hurt and betrayal well up within him. Turning his eyes up to the ceiling, he stared. That _hurt._ Being referred to as a child was bad enough, and Goku hated being called a child, but the way Sanzo had said it made him feel like a liability. A weak child who couldn't even help himself, let alone the man he owed everything to. It hurt worse then any injury that could be inflicted upon him, and Goku resisted the urge to cry. If he was going to prove he wasn't a child, crying now wouldn't help him.

Slowly, Goku sat up, feeling the pain rip all through his back where the wounds were covered by bandages. On shaky legs, he managed to stand, using the wall for support. He slowly began to head towards the door, feeling pain blossom for the joints he was putting into motion. It was almost enough to send him to the floor crying, but he would be damned if he let his weakness get the better of him.

Making his way down the hallway was an atrocious journey, but somehow he managed to stumble into the bathroom, closing the door and leaning against the wall for support. He made it, now maybe he could draw a bath and relax. He began filing the tub as he began the task of peeling the bandages off.

His entire body was wrapped up. All long his torso, he could see the tears running along his middle, like rings around a tree trunk. There were slashes on his elbows and shoulders, and around his finger joints. It seemed every joint there was a break, as though his body had threatened to rip apart at its weakest points.

After the painful task of removing all his bandages, he slid into the warm tub. The hot water seeped into his cuts, and he hissed, before allowing himself to relax against the sides. He watched, dimly interested as the clear water of the tub soon became tinted pink with the color of his blood. He grabbed a nearby wash cloth and soap, and he began painfully washing himself.

He swore to himself that he would prove he wasn't a child. Sanzo would look at him in respect, and he would therefore never sink this low. He couldn't afford to be a liability—ever.

With that thought, Goku sunk deeper into the soothing bath, allowing the water to open his wounds, spilling blood and leaving it to mingle within the water, painting the world pink.

---

It was an incredibly hard three weeks.

The healing process had been painful, and Goku had been anything but willing to submit to his injuries and stay bed ridden. He was convinced that if he stayed in bed, things would only get worse. He wanted to be up, eating in the dining hall with everyone else, moving and playing and doing the things he always used to, albeit a lot slower and in a stiffer manner. The monks in the hall had barely given him a side glance as they walked brusquely by him. Goku didn't mind. He didn't want their pity, or their help. He wanted to do this on his own.

He had been doing fine, save for the one time where he'd collapsed outside. It had been a ways away from the temple when Goku's legs had given out under him. But he had managed to drag himself back to the temple, and haul himself back towards his room. No help was needed. As soon as he fell into his bed he slipped into an exhausted sleep, fully proud of himself.

The thing that had been bothering him though was Seiten Taisei's presence. He hadn't felt the demon since he'd woken up. He liked to think the demon was still recovering in the back of his mind, but he'd begun to worry lately. Perhaps something bad had happened to him? Goku often found himself awake at night, calling out to the demon.

It always unnerved him when he received no answer.

Gradually, he became stronger and stronger until nothing was left of the past pain but thin scars that covered every single one of his joints. They would fade in less then a month, with his healing ability, so he wasn't worried. Sanzo had been pulled out on missions more and more lately. Most of them were simple, one day missions he could do easily, and then return to fill out his report on them. Every time Sanzo went out for another mission, Goku begged and pleaded for the blond to take him, but each time Sanzo had answered with a quick, firm, "No."

Sanzo had gone out on yet another mission, and had yet to return. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't exactly light out either. The air was crisp, and warm, but the clouds obscured his vision of the sun. Goku hated cloudy days, because it always meant he couldn't see the sun. It reminded him repeatedly of Sanzo's absence. In his boredom, Goku had picked up a puppy that no one seemed to own, and decided to play with it for a while. With Sanzo gone and Seiten still resting, he found his boredom eating away at him.

He'd chased the dog through the mud for a while, and once they were both fully cloaked, the dog had raced inside the temple, smashing a few relics and dragging mud everywhere. He had laughed loudly, chasing the pup all over the temple, only mocking the monks that attempted to catch him vehemently. Eventually, Goku and the dog had stopped, and the monkey began petting the dog, as the exhausted creature stretched out before him. He knew he was acting like a child, but Goku couldn't help it. He wanted to enjoy life, as well as earn the respect of his elders. And that was something that could easily be accomplished in battle.

He'd smelt the man before he'd seen him, hearing the monk's annoying chatter through the corridors, interrupted softly by Sanzo's growling annoyance. When the blond monk came into view, Goku could only laugh. "Hey," he cheered happily, the dog glancing between the two of them excitedly. "Sanzo's home, yaaaaay!"

The monk explained what he'd been up to, and Sanzo shook with repressed rage. Goku saw it coming before Sanzo crossed the threshold in two easy strides and smacked him smartly over the head with his fan. "You stupid monkey!" he shouted, and Goku let out a cry of surprise more then pain.

"Ow! What the hell's wrong with you? That hurt!"

"Shut your mouth! What are you, in heat? Now wash up and get changed!"

At his voice of grumbled, two more sound smacks hit Goku on the back of his head, and he let out a wail. "And the dog goes," Sanzo added in a strict tone, waving his fan like it gave him ultimate power. "Move."

"Okay already," Goku whined, holding his hand up in case the man attempted to hit him again. "Way to be a stinker."

Sanzo growled something in reply, but Goku had already scooped the dog into his arms, turning and heading towards the doors. He released the dog back outside, before hurrying back towards the shower. He didn't know why he felt like he needed to hurry, but he did. He had a quick shower before pulling some jeans, making his way into Sanzo's room for the rest of his clothes to find the monk packing away bullets, and readying his gun.

A small frown crossed his features. "You goin' somewhere Sanzo?" he asked, as Sanzo turned his gaze towards him, before focusing back on his task. Goku didn't miss how Sanzo's eyes had taken a moment to study the ringlet scars that ran all along his torso.

"Looks like it," the monk replied blandly, continuing grabbing things he would need. "I've been given an irritating mission to go find someone. I may be gone a while."

At this, a flicker of disappointment hit Goku. He hated it when Sanzo left him alone. Without Seiten or Sanzo around, he'd been feeling increasingly lonely. To think he'd be gone longer then normal only tugged on something within Goku's heart. "For real?" he asked, masking his childish disappointment by towel-drying his long hair. "Then lemme come!" he suddenly exclaimed happily, solving his own dilemma.

"Never," Sanzo replied callously. "Get someone else to take you for a walk."

"Are you calling me an animal?" Goku shouted suddenly, his brows drawing together in anger. It was better then being called a child, but it still infuriated him to no end.

"Self awareness monkey, learn it."

Goku pouted, attempting to act adult but his normal childishness was getting in the way. "But it sucks here, Sanzo!" he cried, hating that fact that his tone took on an annoying whine. "I don't want to be alone! Take me! Take me, Sanzo!"

The monk seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, before he turned, growling softly. "Just can it, I can't win against your powers of annoyance." Goku stared in slight confusion, mumbling out an unintelligible 'huh?' as he watched the monk place his gold crown back in place. As Goku watched him, he could only think that Sanzo was truly the sun. Or an angel. Some creature of absolute beauty. He simply stood there, mouth slightly agape, and staring at the monk before him.

"What's wrong monkey?" Sanzo asked, though his tone was anything but annoyed. "Keep gawking like that and I'll leave you behind." Then he turned, and began heading for the door.

Goku could only watch him for a moment, before realizing his sun—his angel—his savior, was walking away. Snapping back to normal, he chased after him. "Sanzo!" he cried, leaving wet footprints in his wake. "Wait up!"

---

"_It's your hair and eyes, Gojyo-san; they strike me as the color of blood." _

"_He looked up at me…and smiled, I think."_

"_This Cho Gonou killed lotsa people right? He must be real bad." _

"_You can choose to die, you can choose to run, but dying alone won't change a thing. Trust me on that one." _

"_It's like all the conflict in us has vanished. I didn't know his voice could get so clear. Today, all of us have been brought together under this golden light."_

---

A snicker filtered through the trees before the crunch of a peach seemed to echo through the area. Deep emerald eyes with a glint of gold peered out through the darkness, watching the two figures make their way away from Chang'an. He could hear the young brunet chattering away, intercepted by the blond's rough tone through the large area. He took another bite out of the peach, turning his attention to the sunset that glowed through the darkness. The moon and the sun forever caught in an endless game of tag. He smiled.

"A moon ascends

Unto the sky

A silent world

For us to die.

"We need not mourn

The likes of them,

No man lay breathing

Their souls, condemn.

"And in their midst

A pair still gawk

Their graveyard forevermore

Do they walk."

"Quite the poet, eh, Wuu?" Eyes trailed down towards the amused voice, not surprised to find the blond standing beneath him, smiling up at him in pure mirth. Wukong could only grin, turning back to watch the setting sun.

"Just something I came up with," he muttered, allowing his eyes to slide closed. "The wheels of fate are already turning."

"Aye," Xuanzang said from his spot on the ground, turning to look up towards the sky. "I can feel the shift within the earth. I know you sense it too."

"How could I not?" Wukong asked with a mischievous little smirk. "Hell, Xuan, I've been feeling it for the past five hundred years." He paused, smiling as he took another bite out of the peach.

"I will never get over my love for peaches," he said after a moment.

Xuanzang looked up at him, and simply laughed.


	5. Chapter Five

**Rating: **PG

**Parings: **None really.

**Warnings: **Cliffhanger. xD And Sanzo being Sanzo.

**A/N: **This is reply of Vol '5, or episodes 15 and 16 in the anime, with some minor changes. This was a pain to write and it took me twice as long, but I hope it was worth it. I hope you enjoy!

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**Eternal Earth**

**Chapter Five**

"Hey, this Cho Gonou guy killed lotsa people right? He must be real bad."

The pair had taken up residence in a nearby inn for the evening when searching for information became impossible. It had grown far too dark and Goku was beginning to complain about hunger, so the pair had decided to head back to the inn. They'd stopped at a nearby restaurant where they had sat down for dinner. Sanzo had long since finished his meal, and merely sat waiting for Goku to finish the mountain of dishes in front of him. Though it was small compared to his normal meals, the waitress still had widened her eyes when they ordered.

"Who knows," Sanzo muttered, his eyes drawn off somewhere else in the bar.

Goku had allowed his eyes to travel around the table, taking in the two extra seats that had been set up. They had to get a table for four to hold all the food, and now the two extra chairs were beginning to bother him. He felt as though they needed to be filled.

He glanced up as Sanzo stood from the table, wondering where it was the blond was headed. He crossed the room, and began talking with another man. Goku couldn't hear their voices over the loud chatter that filled the restaurant, and wondered what it was Sanzo wanted from him. He rolled his eyes when Sanzo's gun made its appearance, and the man surrendered whatever information Sanzo wanted out of him. Then the blond turned back to the table, not even bothering to take a seat.

"Come on, we're going," he said simply, before turning to go pay for the meal. Goku couldn't complain as he stuffed the last spring rolls in his mouth and continued after the man.

It wasn't a far walk, but it felt like that as the pair headed through the darkened town. The gravel roads crunched under their feet as they walked, announcing their arrival to anyone who was listening. Goku gazed off, bored, when he caught a flash of brown through the not-so-far-off foliage. Goku turned to catch a better glimpse of it, but found the creature had retreated back into the trees. The young demon could've sworn he still felt peering eyes on his back as he walked.

Sanzo abruptly stopped, and Goku rammed into him. Backing off, he turned to look up at the monk, finding his features almost haunting in the dim light. "Stay here," the man said strictly, causing Goku to frown. "I'll call you if I need you."

Goku decided not to complain as he watched the blond approach a small house. Curiosity drawn away, Goku began to wander over to the foliage, where he could've sworn he saw something moving. It was probably just an animal, but then again animals didn't move like that. It moved swiftly, silently, but lingered as though waiting for him. Goku began to draw closer, feeling the familiar sensation of comforting arms, of a warm, gentle touch with all the more bite behind it. Goku wished he could place the feeling as he was almost within arm's reach of the tree. He could feel the creature's eyes on him as he continued.

Shaking, he reached his arm out towards the boarder between trees and road. He could feel anticipation building so strongly it strangled him. He could feel the blood draining from his hand as it shook.

"Goku!"

At Sanzo's alarmed tone, Goku wasted no time abandoning the strange creature and returning to the monk's side. In a second he stood in front of a brunet with startling green eyes and a rather surprised look on his face. Sanzo was several feet behind, being pinned down by a redheaded man. Goku wasted no time worrying about the monk; he could handle himself. He had to worry about this brown haired man. Was this Cho Gonou?

"You brought a buddy?" the redhead asked, slightly alarmed.

"I've just got to knock 'im out, right Sanzo?" Goku chirped, already feeling the rush of adrenaline pounding through him. He turned his predatory smile towards green-eyes, flexing his fists. He waited until the man gave a twitch, before lunging out with his leg, slamming a kick towards his head. He was surprised when green-eyes actually brought his arm up and blocked the kick.

Jumping back, Goku landed on his hands and knees, growling softly. After a moment, he felt joy ripple through his chest. He hadn't had a good fight in a long time, and this guy actually seemed half-decent. Maybe this was how he could prove himself.

"Heeey Sanzo! This guy must be pretty good!" Goku exclaimed happily, turning towards his guardian who was still pinned under the weight of the other man.

"Stop sounding so happy, monkey!" Sanzo snapped.

"Okay, I'll get serious now, lookie," he half-mumbled it to himself, but he was sure Sanzo heard anyway.

Pursing his lips together, he hopped, slamming his foot up green-eyes' jaw. The man fell to the ground with a hard slam, coughing out blood. It looked as though green-eyes had some other injuries that were not allowing him to fight at full strength. Goku frowned softly at the thought, and wondered what it would be like to fight the man head on. He heard the redhead exclaim something behind him, but the adrenaline rush was blocking out his hearing. Rushing towards green-eyes again, he prepared to attack again.

That's when he found himself staring down the barrel of Sanzo's Smith & Wesson.

Goku felt his breath catch, as he stared at the man's face, before turning back to the gun in his hands. At the close range, a single shot would kill him. There was no way the brunet would be able to miss. He heard Sanzo shout his name out in alarm behind him, but he couldn't turn to see. He didn't dare take his eyes away from his enemy, for if he did he knew that death would be assured.

"D-don't move, please," the man said, not wavering as he held the gun in both hands. "Just listen to what I have to say. That man has nothing to do with me, please do not hold him responsible. I know I've committed very serious crimes, and I know my life alone isn't enough for atonement. Please. _Please_, just give me a little more time."

Green-eyes paused, as he seemed to be having trouble with whatever wounds were hindering him. "I… I'm sorry for doing this."

Goku blinked in confusion, turning his eyes up to watch as green-eyes turned, and ran. He could feel a pang of sympathy go out towards the man, wondering why he was being so polite. He was a murderer, right? So therefore he should be a horrible person. But… why did it seem like he just was pleading—begging to do something? Why would a murderer act like that? Goku was suddenly torn, as he could only watch the man disappear.

---

It was not long after when they found themselves in Gojyo's house. The redhead was talking to Sanzo, as the brunet began poking around through his kitchen. He could feel his hunger starting to growl at him again, and he wondered if Gojyo would have anything relatively editable. It didn't seem like he would. His entire place was filled with beer cans and cigarettes. It was a different scent then Sanzo's, and it only caused his nose to wrinkle in disgust.

He caught a flash of brown out the window again, and turned, wondering why the sensation of being watched came over him again. As he turned to get a better look out the window, he found whatever was there, was gone.

Sighing, he turned down towards the table, and all but squealed in delight at the rolls that had been placed in a bowl. "Hey, this is yummy!" he exclaimed, turning back towards the pair on the floor. "Can I eat it all?!"

Gojyo growled, turning towards Sanzo with a snarl as he said, "Why the hell do I have to feed your goddamn monkey?" he exclaimed, causing an immediate reaction out of Goku.

"I'm not a monkey! I'm Son Goku!"

"Shut up! Stupid monkey fits you better!"

As Gojyo pulled him in a headlock, Goku gave out a shrill shriek, biting him in the arm.

After the pair had settled down into the table, and Goku began munching away at the rolls before him, a thought occurred to him. Turning towards the monk, he frowned softly. "Hey, Sanzo? Is Gonou a bad guy?"

At this, the monk turned up to him, his own brows drew down in question. "What's that?"

"I dunno it's weird," Goku mumbled, taking another bite out of the roll. He made sure to chew and swallow, before continuing. Sanzo had been attempting to breed table manners into him for the past few years, and he'd rather use them instead of risking another attack of the fan. "He didn't seem all that bad to me."

"Killing isn't limited to evil people," Sanzo explained as he proceeded to place a cigarette between his lips and light it. "There are times when it's kill or be killed. And the world's rotting with people who _deserve_ to die. But listen Goku," he added as an afterthought, taking a drag from his cigarette. "People who kill can't expect to be spared. Karma sees to that."

"Whether this world is evil or not, the ones with the strongest will to live are the ones who survive."

Goku simply shrugged, still unsure about the monk's explanation but willing to accept his words. He turned back to the bowl again, taking a bite out of another roll as he watched as Gojyo laid his arm on Sanzo's shoulder. "Wow, it's a shame you became a monk," the redhead laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sanzo had growled in return, and Goku nearly choked on his roll in an attempt to keep back his laughter.

As Goku finished the roll, he found one last question that seemed to be bothering him. "But he got away, izzat okay, Sanzo?"

"No," Sanzo muttered with a reluctant grumble, putting his cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. "This is a mission, as much as it pains me to say so. We'll have to go after him."

"Bah, I think you're wasting your time," Goku's eyes trailed back over to Gojyo as he spoke, leaning back against the counter. "I don't know what he had to do, but after he's finished, he'll probably die. He seems the type." There was a sort of sad tone in his voice, as though he didn't want to admit the truth.

"Which is all the more reason to go after him," Goku's eyes flickered back over to Sanzo, watching as the monk rose to his feet. He felt almost invisible, watching while not really involved. He silently munched on another roll. "I've been ordered to bring Cho Gonou to Shayou palace. This mission is bad enough without him dying on me." Sanzo then turned for the door. "Sorry for the trouble. Come on Goku."

Without a hint of reluctance, Goku bounded to his feet, turning towards the monk. Sanzo laid a hand on the door handle, pausing when Gojyo spoke, "Hang on a sec."

The pair turned back to him, expectantly.

"I want to go too."

---

It had been bothering him all night. The fleeting feeling of being watched, accompanied by the wisps of movement just beyond his sight. He couldn't shake the feeling no matter how hard he tried.

"I'm smelling blood."

"Where?"

"That way!"

Even as he ran through the trees, his heart thundering and his pulse racing, he could not shake the unmistakable feeling of someone leering over his shoulder, waiting for him. It was a presence that was strikingly familiar, yet unsettling because he could not place it. He attempted to focus back on the task at hand, but felt his mind still slipping back towards the feeling of being watched.

As he cleared the trees ahead, he could clearly see Cho Gonou reaching up, about to rip out his other eye. All turbulence towards the presence was forgotten, and all he could think was that those pretty emerald eyes would be lost. Leaping out at the last second, he managed to land on the man's shoulders with a cry of, "Cut that out!"

The pair went tumbling towards the ground, and Goku frowned at the man with a look of annoyance and stubbornness. "What are you doing, stupid?" Goku exclaimed, surprised to find Gonou staring at him with a stupefied look. Gonou responded with a confused mumble, but Goku continued, "That's not cool! I think your eyes are really pretty!"

"Was it you who said red implies repentance? Repentance to whom? The gods? The gods don't save anyone, you have to save yourself." Sanzo said gruffly, watching as Gonou grew rigid. "You can choose to die, you can choose to run, but dying alone won't change a thing. Trust me on that. If you really want to change things, then you're going to have to live."

Goku could only smile at his guardian's wisdom, turning back to look at the demon who had attacked Gonou. "Who're you?" he exclaimed loudly. "Are you defending this guy?"

"Not quite," Gojyo responded casually from behind him, studying the lit cigarette in his hands. "We know you want to kill him. Go ahead—we won't stop you. Just remember, people who kill can't expect to be saved. Karma sees to that." He paused, a taunting smirk catching his lips. "Or says some corrupt monk. Whatever that's worth."

The demon ground his teeth, hissing softly. "Just die you sicko!" he screamed, running towards Gonou with a sword in hand. Goku watched him for a moment, before Gonou raised Sanzo's gun, and shot the demon through the forehead, a look of pure annoyance and anger marring his features. Goku could only wonder where the man learned to shoot a gun.

As Gonou rose to his feet, Sanzo simply muttered, "Cho Gonou, I hope you enjoy company. We're all going to Hyakugan Maoh's."

Gonou only let a small smile catch his lips. "I'd appreciate that."

---

Goku watched as Gojyo and Hakkai—Cho Gonou's new name—leave the temple of Chang'an after dealing with whatever business Sanzo summoned them for. Several months had passed after the mission that led the four to meet, and Goku couldn't be happier because of it. He waved to the pair as they left, smiling as they waved back.

Gonou had been brought to the temple of the Setting Sun, and Goku had been worried about what kind of punishment he'd receive. But when Sanzo informed him that Gonou had been pardoned, and given a new name—Hakkai—Goku felt like grinning until his face cracked. He was positive Hakkai wasn't a horrible person, and had grown almost attached to him in the short time they'd spent together.

He fell back into the grass, enjoying the warm night air on his face as he closed his eyes, releasing a contented sigh. He could just fall asleep right here, and probably wouldn't wake up until morning. Just as thoughts of dozing off came to mind, he felt the same feeling of being watched as he had when they had gone out to hunt down Hakkai. It was eerie and familiar all the same, sending shivers down his spine.

And when he opened his eyes, he found himself gazing up into golden depths so similar to his own Goku thought he was imagining things. "Hello Goku," the voice hissed. A voice he'd often heard nights when he couldn't sleep, or long lonely days within the temple walls. But instead of hearing it echoed back within his own mind, it was loud alive, and dripping with confidence. Goku swore he felt his breath catch.

"Did you miss me?"


	6. Chapter Six

**Rating; **16+

**Warnings: **Blood and gore. Shounen-ai.

**Parings: **ST/Goku

**A/N: **This chapter had been in my head for a long time. I'm glad it's finally up. Thanks again to my beta, EoS, and for all those reading this. It's what makes it worthwhile

C&C appreciated.

* * *

**Eternal Earth **

**Chapter Six**

"Did you miss me?"

"Seiten Taisei!" Goku screamed, bolting upright immediately. He turned, still seated on the ground as he stared up at the demon before him. He'd only really 'seen' Seiten once, back when he'd had the fever; it was first real time he'd met the demon. Seiten looked a lot different from then, though, Goku thought as he allowed his eyes to travel up jean-clad legs. They looked worn down, and covered in dirt; they also looked a size or so too big. The young demon did not wear a shirt, but had instead shrugged on an oversized coat, which looked fairly new.

"What—how… buh…" was all Goku could mumble out unintelligibly. Seiten Taisei was in front of him, with his own body, breathing, alive. Was this real? Goku pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and winced. Nope. This was real.

"I'm as surprised as you are," Seiten said, twirling and allowing the large jacket to flare out. His hair twisted around with his jacket, long brown locks flowing around him in an arc. His slit golden eyes slid shut and he simply smiled. "But I believe it had something to do with that demon back several months ago. When he attempted to pull you through the plains, he only succeeded in prying us apart. I have a body Goku! This is marvelous!"

The demon laughed, and Goku cocked brow, grinning with mirth. "Now who's acting like a child?" he asked, before laughing at the look Seiten shot him. The demon simply grasped his hand, yanking him off the ground and twirling with him. Seiten's giddiness was contagious and soon Goku found himself laughing alongside the brown-haired demon.

A second later they had stopped spinning, and Seiten Taisei pulled him in for a kiss. It startled Goku at first, so much so that he couldn't move. Seiten merely gripped his arms, kissing him soundly and purring softy in the back of his throat. The only thought that broke through Goku's muddled mind was the thought that despite everything Seiten was still half an inch shorter then him. The kiss broke and Seiten merely looked up at him, still purring like a content cat.

"You do not know…" He whispered, leaning forwards to nip at Goku's lips. "…How long I've wanted to do that."

"S-Seiten?" Goku whispered, feeling his face heat up. "W-what are you doing?"

Seiten Taisei smiled at him, closing his golden eyes as he softly bit at Goku's lips. Though the younger brunet was confused, he didn't dare pull away. He felt as though he just wanted to wait, and watch the events displaying before him. Seiten's purring grew louder, and for a moment it would seem as though he wasn't about to reply to Goku's question. "Goku, you belong to me, remember?" Seiten Taisei whispered against his lips. "So I'm fully willing to take what's mine." A soft growl-purr rose from the demon's throat, as he opened his eyes to watch _his _Goku. "…I swear Goku, you so much as think Sanzo's name and I'll bite off your tongue."

Seiten Taisei then leaned forwards, kissing the boy breathless. One hand on Goku's hip and the other behind his head; Seiten attempted to keep the boy in place as well as deepen the kiss. Goku found himself once again stunned, before slowly but surely kissing the demon back. Shaking, his hands found their way to Seiten's shoulders before they wound back behind his neck, fingers gripping his hair tightly. He had never felt physical contact like this before—never experienced any soft of physical contact save for the cuffs and smacks that Sanzo delivered every once in a while. So Goku found himself clinging to Seiten like a lifeline.

Soon, the smaller demon broke away, not yet moving away from Goku as he smiled up at him, his eyes half lidded. "Do you remember…"the demon whispered. "Back when I first called out to you, and told you that one day I would call upon you for a favor?"

"Yes," Goku whispered, attempting to rekindle the kiss, but Seiten gently denied him. "What about it?" There was a soft whine in his tone, stating that he was clearly displeased with the demon's actions.

Seiten Taisei smiled, granting him a soft chaste kiss before continuing. "I want to call in my favor, Goku; I want you to help me clean out the world."

At this, Goku frowned, pulling back from the demon as he stared into golden depths that were so like his own. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice above a whisper as he watched the creature of earth.

Seiten smiled, placing one hand on the side of Goku's face andwatching as he all but leaned into the touch. "This world is so tainted, Goku. I want to help it along, nothing more." At Goku's confused stare, Seiten pulled away, grabbing Goku's wrist and tugging towards the forest he'd appeared from. "Come Goku, I will show you what I mean."

The young brunet followed Seiten obediently. They raced through the foliage, Seiten continually pulling and tugging on Goku's hand, forcing him to run faster and faster. Despite the fact that Goku was known to be very fast, he found himself continually falling behind and having trouble keeping up with the demon in front of him. If not for Seiten's grip on his wrist, he would've fallen behind a long time ago.

They ran for only a few minutes, but it felt so much longer. They stopped when Goku could smell the scent of fire and the overpowering aroma of blood. Seiten tugged on his arm, pulling him through the trees so he got a full view of the carnage in front of him. It was a village, on fire. People were running and screaming while what looked like soldiers moved through the town, slaughtering everyone. Women, children, men it didn't matter. They were all dying, drowning in a river of blood that soaked the town red.

"What… what's going on?" Goku whispered, horrified as he watched the events before him. Seiten simply smiled, the grip on his wrist still tight, though Goku could not say if it was to comfort him or to make sure he wouldn't run away.

"It's horrible, isn't it Goku?" Seiten whispered, smiling down upon the death below. "It's been going on for hours. Those men have been paid to wipe out the village of people who did nothing wrong. They're such horrible… horrible people…"

Goku let out a cry of terror as a child fell to the ground below him, about to be killed. He attempted to run down to help when Seiten effortlessly swung him back into his arms, wrapping one hand around his middle and the other around his mouth, muffling the boy's horrified cries. He held Goku still with little effort, kissing his neck softly to comfort him. "Hush love," he whispered in his ear, causing shivers to run up Goku's spine. It froze him for a moment, causing Seiten to get a better grip on him. "Just watch."

And that was all he could do. He stared, watching as children were hacked down, decapitated instantly or thrown into fires. Mothers sobbing over lifeless bodies, women being stabbed, torn apart, raped and then left to die. Men did their best to defend the village, but in the end it was useless. They were little more then farmers and workers, certainly not soldiers and were falling by the dozens. Some of the smarter ones had chosen to run, but even then it seemed like they couldn't escape. They were trapped, and they were dying because of it.

Goku could feel himself shaking. The pure need to save those people was almost choking in its intensity. He had to help those people. He struggled and fought and bit at Seiten but still the young child of earth did not release him. He stayed perfectly calm and perfectly still. His grip never wavered, forcing Goku to watch the river of blood expand, and the body count rise. It felt like only minutes later until the fires grew so high they were licking at their feet, and the scent of death was so strong it was positively repulsive. Goku felt his knees weakening, and was soon supported by Seiten Taisei.

His eyes were glued to the dying form of a child as he gripped Seiten's jacket pathetically for support. His entire body shook at the sight of the innocent people before him being ripped limb from limb. He'd seen death before, but this… was just a massacre. He could taste the bile on his tongue as he watched a woman being hacked slowly to pieces, blood flying everywhere as her screams pierced something deep within Goku's soul. He was sick. He couldn't watch this anymore, but no matter how hard he tried he could not tear his eyes away from the gruesome sight before him. It almost mesmerized him and that thought made him stir in self-loathing and guilt.

"Why… Why are you showing me this?" Goku asked delicately, turning his own golden eyes to meet calm pools that reflected his own. Seiten cocked his head to the side, as if dwelling on his question, though Goku figured it was simply the animalistic side of him.

Seiten Taisei smiled softly, placing a hand comfortingly on Goku's back, mostly to hold him upright. "Like I said, Goku, I just want to help the world along. I want to rid this earth of people like this, who would kill for no reason. But I need you, Goku, because you belong to me. We belong together, to put it simply. Despite the fact that we are in different bodies, we are still one." Leaning down, Seiten placed a kiss to his lips as Goku's knees began to give out under him. Seiten allowed them to sink towards the ground. They collapsed onto the ground, and only then did the kiss break. Seiten pressed his forehead to Goku's purring softly. "Will you help me, Goku?"

Goku hesitated, clearly caught in indecision. "And before you say anything," Seiten added, causing Goku's eyes to flicker towards him again. "Sanzo will not be joining us. It will be you and I. No one else."

At this, doubt began to glimmer in Goku's eyes. Could he really just leave Sanzo and join Seiten Taisei like that? What would Sanzo say? He could feel indecision eating away at him. But as he let his eyes rest on Seiten's form above him, smiling down on him while his arms were wrapped around his middle, Goku found the answer coming easily to him. He would go with Seiten Taisei. He could always go back to Sanzo afterwards, right? The man would surely understand.

Besides, Goku was just starting to explore the feeling of being wanted, and touched—dare he say loved—and he didn't want it to end so soon.

"Yes," Goku whispered, still feeling himself shaking from the images of severed limbs and bloodied pools. He rested his head softly against Seiten's chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. It began to soothe away the anxiety as he allowed his eyes to slide closed. "I want to come with you."

Seiten Taisei smiled softly, combing his fingers through Goku's soft chocolate locks as he cocked his head to the side. "Okay then," he whispered, before clutching Goku close to him and disappearing in a soundless flash.

---

Xuanzang and Wukong stood perfectly straight, eyes unwavering in their silent intensity as they regarded the half-woman in front of them. Wukong's eyes burned with defiance while Xuanzang calmly glared. The Merciful Goddess stood before them, her hands on her hips and her lips set in a firm line. Her fingers tapped on her hip and she seemed to be contemplating something. The silence was practically suffocating until Wukong finally spoke.

"You can't expect us to simply let this go," Wukong said in a strangely contained voice. His fist gripped the fabric of his pants angrily. "This is our lives, Kanzeon. Their lives. We can't let this go. He's breaking the flow of the _world!_" he seethed the last word, unable to let it slip past his lips without a hint of bitterness.

Xuanzang attempted to calm the young man without really touching him. "If you will, Kanzeon, we have not yet taken any action that would condemn us. Reporting us now to the Buddha would be senseless."

Wukong felt himself practically shaking when Kanzeon remained silent. Images of past punishments flashed before his eyes and he could feel the fear and impending doom creeping up on him. "Please, _Baa-chan_. Don't do this."

The familiar nickname seemed to crack something within the Goddess as she let out a tired sigh, her arms dropping to her sides. Wukong grinned at his victory, but had the common sense to hide it as she turned her eyes to him again. "It's only because I love you both, that I won't turn you in," waving her hand, she said off-handedly, "Then again, turning you in might ruin my only source of entertainment."

Xuanzang smiled softly while Wukong grinned broadly. Kanzeon regarded the young men in front of her, shaking her head. "You two never change. I won't turn you in, but if you're not careful someone who will might catch you meddling."

Wukong elbowed Xuanzang in the arm knowingly, and the young man placed a hand to his shoulder. "Thank you, Kanzeon," Xuan said, giving a small, respectful bow.

Kanzeon smiled softly. "Help them," she said. "I'll keep things together in Heaven; you just make sure Goku finds Sanzo again."

Wukong held his hand out in front of him, smiling with mischief. "Don't worry, the monk will get his monkey again," he said with a snicker. Xuanzang calmly placed a hand on his arm, shaking his head.

"And I always thought you hated being—" Kanzeon didn't hear the rest of his sentence as the pair swiftly disappeared in a flash of light.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swearing. (As usual) Character death. Blood. Gore. Severe mutilation.

**Parings: **Implied ST/Goku. Hinted 3/9

**A/N: **I had such great fun writing this chapter. The first of the character deaths appear! I just didn't think the first one would come so quickly, so that surprised me. I'm not complaining though. (snicker) Again, much thanks to EoS for editing, God knows I'd die without her. Anyways, enjoy another morbidly horrible chapter written by me. Beware the Great Sage in all his glory!

C&C appreciated.

* * *

**Eternal Earth **

**Chapter Seven**

Seiten Taisei had moved them away from Chang'an out of the simple concern that being too close to Sanzo might make the young brunet reconsider joining with him. They were a good thirty miles from the temple and had been residing in a small campsite for three days. Goku had recovered from the emotional shock from the past few days, but mostly sat in silence, mulling over thoughts. Seiten Taisei didn't blame him. He figured the boy must have a lot to think about.

But after three days Seiten began to grow restless. Eating nothing but fish seemed to do that to him. He'd been waiting _five hundred years_ to launch his plan, and he was terribly impatient. He realized what he'd known all along; that the first stage he would have to go through alone. He knew he could handle the situation himself, it was just he wasn't too keen on leaving Goku behind. He was still uncertain that Goku was fully loyal to him. He knew he had Goku's trust and devotion, but he knew Sanzo held so much more.

He fisted his hands in anger. He was going to _kill_ Sanzo one day.

And he would enjoy it.

With his new resolve, Seiten went to sleep that night, waking up with the sun the next morning. Goku and Seiten ate breakfast together, just as they had for the past four days, before Seiten stood, stretching softly. Goku eyed him curiously, and Seiten Taisei offered him a small smile. "I'm going to head out today, all right, Goku?" he asked as kindly as possible, watching the confusion dance across his lover's face. "I just need to run an errand. You don't need to come. Just stay here, and enjoy yourself."

Holding his palms out, pointing down towards the ground, he chanted softly beneath his breath. He slowly opened his eyes, and gave Goku one last smile. Finishing the chant, he said, "I shouldn't be gone too long." Flicking his wrists, he muttered one final word before clouds began to gather beneath Seiten's feet. With a soft jump, he seemed to disappear into the clouds, and was lost from sight.

---

Sanzo frowned. To those who didn't know the monk, it seemed out of general irritation. Those who did know him could sense that he was deeply angered, and could explode at any moment. Gojyo wisely kept the remarks to himself as he spread languidly out of the couch in the monk's office. Hakkai sat next to him, hands politely folded in his lap as he turned a worried expression over to the monk. They could see he was deeply troubled by Goku's disappearance a few days ago, but refused to say a word on it.

Truly, they were all disturbed about Goku's disappearance. It seemed the boy just… up and vanished. Evaporated almost. Gojyo and Hakkai had searched feverishly for the boy since they had been alerted to Goku's absence, but hadn't been able to turn up anything. Sanzo simply sat and smoked. He seemed incredibly lifeless the past few days without the young monkey, and both the redhead and the brunet had noticed.

A clock ticked.

Hakkai drank his tea quietly.

Silence seemed to hover over them like smoke in the air.

Without warning, Sanzo's hand descended to the desk, causing a loud smack to resonate throughout the room. Both demons turned to their human companion, surprised to find all control lost and see him seething with anger. "Will one of you just fucking say something?" Sanzo snapped. Gojyo suppressed a smile. It seemed the monkey's noise had become a part of Sanzo's life. He seemed to worm his way into both his and Hakkai's lives in the past few months as well, and even Gojyo could feel the effects of the missing monkey.

"'Something'," Gojyo mocked, causing a growl to rise in Sanzo's throat. "Well what the fuck do you want me to say, oh great Sanzo-sama? This is Goku we're talking about. He probably just got lost and will be back within a day or so. Or maybe he saw a meat bun and made a friend. Just relax before you pop a fucking blood vessel."

"Gojyo…" Hakkai warned softly, attempting to catch the man's eye to give him a hard stare. Pestering Sanzo at the moment wouldn't do anyone any good.

The blond from behind the desk scowled, rising to his feet. Expecting a blow from the fan, Gojyo was surprised when Sanzo simply walked right by him towards the door. He opened the sliding door, pausing a moment. "Just go home already," he muttered, his tone radiating defeat as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

---

Seiten Taisei grinned with anticipation. Heaven hadn't changed in five hundred years.

But he had. And now they were going to feel his anger and bitterness from being lock away for five hundred long years. But he couldn't have all the fun. He had work to do. He remembered that as he strode confidently up towards the Jade Emperor's palace. The men guarding the gate recognized him and attempted to kill him. He cut most of them down with ease, leaving a few of them to run off and warn the rest of the palace. A mischievous grin began to take over his lips. This was going to be _fun._

He had managed to get a few more feet up the long entryway before he was ambushed by guards once again. These looked a little more formidable then the ones at the gate, but Seiten managed to end their lives quickly enough. Soon he was standing over the bodies of at least fifty men, drowned in blood. And none of them had been able to land a finger on him.

Great Sage Equal to Heaven, indeed.

By the time he reached the Jade Palace's doors, he had killed over seven hundred men. It had been exhilarating and fun, yet at the same time it was starting to get annoying. Couldn't they send anyone who would at least stand a chance against him? He was getting fed up with these meaningless guards. He entered the palace, cutting down several more men without even sparing them a glance before continuing down the main hallway. It seemed the entire place had been evacuated. He didn't care. Heaven would fall one way or another.

That was when skilled men actually decided to attack him. There were only seven of them, but they managed to last several minutes each against him, before he cut them down. The one that seemed to be the leader lasted fifteen minutes before Seiten was able to lop off his head.

They were trying; Seiten Taisei had to give them that.

He strode into the main chamber, finding the throne vacated. The entire room was bare, and Seiten let a small smile catch his lips. This was almost too easy. He crossed the room, and with a powerful shove the throne clattered to the floor, revealing a simple square in the wall behind lock. Not bothering with the damn thing, Seiten slammed his fist into the metal door. It hurt, but he managed to upset the hinges enough for him to pry it out. Pulling off the small door, he gazed at his prize.

The Egg of Genesis.

Seiten Taisei took a moment to stare at it in awe. It was at least the size of his head, swimming with a light purplish-blue color. It was still unfertilized. Seiten Taisei smiled. Good. It would've been boring if it was already fertilized.

A throat was cleared behind him, and he turned to find the Merciful Goddess standing behind him with her hands on her hips and pure hatred lining her features. "Seiten Taisei…" his name was whispered like a threat.

Seiten grinned as he turned to face the woman. "Kanzeon Bosatsu," he said happily, flexing his claws. "How long has it been? Five hundred years?"

"Cut the bullshit," Kanzeon snapped, eyes narrowed. "What the hell do you think you're doing with the Egg? Information about it was supposed to be undisclosed to anyone."

Seiten skipped down the platform, landing on the ground several feet away from the Goddess. "Yes, but you see," he whispered with a malicious smile. "You let Wukong know."

At the implications of his words, Kanzeon's eyes narrowed. Her lips pressed tightly in a firm line, as though mulling over something in her head. "And Goku?" she asked in a tightly contained voice.

Seiten waved his hand in front of his face. "Goku knows nothing. He's too young to understand, so I kept him in the dark."

"What is it you plan to do with the Egg?" Kanzeon asked darkly.

Seiten let a teasing smile touch his lips, leaning back on his weight and cocking his head to the side. "How about, if you live, I'll tell you. I have an old debt to pay back, after all." Without warning Seiten sprung forwards, claws out front. Kanzeon managed to maneuver to the side, but Seiten was too quick. He landed on his hands, kicking his leg out towards her. She caught his ankle and practically threw him across the room.

Seiten managed to flip, landing on his hands and knees. Kanzeon could practically hear him purring from across the room. "You've gotten good," Kanzeon remarked, glaring. Their last fight only lasted a few minutes. Seiten hadn't been nearly as fast.

Seiten just grinned and a second later Kanzeon found herself grabbing a fist, just as claws attempted to catch her throat. Avoiding the deadly claws, Kanzeon realized she needed to go on the offensive. She rammed her fist into Seiten's stomach, hearing the demon let out a breathless scream as he was thrown uselessly along the marble floors. He crashed back into a pillar, and his vision swam.

If this situation didn't look familiar.

But surprisingly, Seiten managed to push himself to his feet, only stumbling slightly. He gazed at Kanzeon with an animalistic snarl, ready and willing to rip her apart. He would not suffer the same humiliation he did five hundred years ago. He would not let this she-male beat him.

Blows were passed back and forth tediously, neither one managing to land a hit. It seemed Kanzeon began to understand that Seiten's blows _hurt_ even when blocked, and had resorted to simply dodging, only blocking when necessary. Seiten's frustration was evident as he continued to growl and hiss in an unpleasant manner. Kanzeon finally landed a blow across his head, and Seiten went flying back into a wall.

What Kanzeon didn't expect was for Seiten to leap off the wall as soon as his back crashed into it, not giving either enough time to recuperate. This gave Seiten the advantage as he rammed his claws into her side. He was aiming for her heart but she moved at the very last second. Nonetheless he had landed a hit, and relished in the sound of Kanzeon yell of pain, as she stumbled back and held her bleeding side. Seiten merely smiled tauntingly, licking the blood off his claws.

Kanzeon struck again, but it seemed that Seiten had completely memorized her plan of action. She was not able to get close to him, and found herself being pelted at all angles. In horror she realized Seiten was _playing_ with her.

He rammed a kick at her knee, causing her to go spiraling to the marble floor with a shout of pain. Cursing, she realized Seiten had broken her leg. This was looking bad. Very bad. Glancing up towards the demon, she found him looking down at her with a predatory gleam. He was wondering how he should kill her. This was very bad.

He slithered over her, pinning both her arms to the floor with his foot. Applying just enough force, he broke her wrist, causing her to suppress a scream. He then smiled a completely innocent smile down upon her, bending down so his face was just above hers.

"Consider my debt, repaid," he whispered.

He then rammed his claws straight into her chest, causing her to let out a shattering scream. Pulling his claws out, he watched her gasp for air as blood poured out everywhere. He missed her heart; it would be a painful death, slowly bleeding to death. He smiled softly at the imagery. She deserved it. A cruel smile worked its way onto his face. No, it wasn't enough. With a mad cackle, he drove his claws into his stomach and literally gutted her, spilling blood and organs all throughout the floor. Though not daring to cut anything that would give her an easy death. He wanted this woman to _suffer_ like he had _suffered_ for the past five hundred years. Five hundred years of solitude, insanity, and loneliness. It had been bad enough that she had locked himself and Goku away, but to have the gull to separate him from his mate…

That was simply unacceptable.

Turning away from her still form, he walked calmly back over to the Egg. He reached inside the small cubby, pulling the large, heavy orb towards him. The Egg of Genesis was his. Seiten felt a soft tug on his lips as he gazed at the orb in his hands. He was so transfixed into it he didn't even notice, or care, when Kanzeon phased out of the room.

Gently, he wrapped the orb up in his jacket, and turned to head out of the room.

Stage one, complete.

---

Maybe they were waiting. Perhaps that was the only reason that they were seated around the office then. The silence was a thick layer upon them, as the three of them sat; the evening light ebbed away by the darkness. Gojyo had been sleeping, snoring softly on the couch while Hakkai read. Sanzo had been sitting by the window, smoking. It felt like they were all waiting for the announcement to arrive that Goku had come home. Turning in would be a smart thing to do soon, but Sanzo didn't feel like moving and Hakkai didn't want to disturb the redhead asleep on the couch.

It was silent until a light descended upon them, and a Goddess appeared before them. None of them had been able to say anything before the woman pitched forwards, and collapsed to the ground. Hakkai sprung to the woman's side, quick to heal the obvious wounds as Sanzo practically jumped over the desk to meet them. The commotion woke Gojyo, who sat up to take in the scene around them.

Sanzo gazed down at the young Goddess as Hakkai was quick to start healing her wounds. The Goddess choked out blood, and already the puddle below her was reaching out to meet Sanzo's sandals. The redhead and the blond watched in fascination, and in wonder. Who was this woman?

She coughed, attempting to regain her breath as her eyes trailed towards Sanzo. "Konzen… No, Sanzo… listen to me."

"Don't talk," Hakkai said curtly, continuing his work. Gojyo could see the worry marring his features. She was wounded badly.

Sanzo stared down at her form as she continued, "Goku… Seiten Taisei," she paused to cough, and Sanzo felt immediate tension work his way throughout his body. This woman knew what happened to Goku. He tried not to push her, as that wouldn't help either of them, but both men could feel his heated anticipation. "…he's stolen the Egg, and… Seiten… has Goku with him. They split apart…"

"What?" Gojyo cried out, turning from Sanzo to the woman. "What is she talking about, Sanzo?"

"Seiten Taisei and Goku are bound by the same body," Sanzo said, ignoring Gojyo entirely. "How did they separate?"

The woman allowed her eyes to roll back for a second, taking her time to answer. "..I don't know… Just find him, Sanzo… The Egg… can't…. be…. Fer…tili...zed…"

The woman's eyes closed, and Sanzo felt his irritation spike. "What the hell kind of crap are you spouting?!" he snapped. "What the hell is this Egg?"

But the Goddess could say no more.

Hakkai leaned back on his heels, sweat cloaking his brow as he watched the woman in front of him. "It's too late. She's wounded too badly; I can't… close it…"

Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai could do nothing but watch the Goddess bleed to death on the office floor.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Rating: **M

**Parings: **ST/Goku hinted Sanzo/Goku

**Warnings: **Blood, fighting, slight morbidity. Kinda creepy Goku.

**A/N: **I love this chapter. It was one of the ones I was looking forwards to writing most when I started this. And people will finally understand where the summary comes from! Yayz! Very exciting. As always, thank EoS for betaing, and Minekura for giving us such a wonderful manga that we can all love and worship and draw fanfiction from.

C&C appreciated.

* * *

**Eternal Earth**

**Chapter Eight**

Goku had always thought he had an understanding of what was right and wrong. What was good and evil, but the more time he spelt with his alter-ego, he realized he knew, indeed, very little.

The Niyou-bou in his hands twirled and whipped, the crimson stained staff becoming nothing more then a blur as it smashed and cracked in bones and muscle. There was blood on his hands, his clothes, the ground, the streets, his face, his staff. The blood was everywhere and soon Goku found himself intoxicated by it. He felt like he was just swaying, dancing about and not even fighting. His mind seemed to have separated from his body, unable to think or focus or do anything. He was surprised he hadn't already been cut down, but he guessed he was still fighting because the bodies were still falling and the blood was still flowing.

Why was he doing this again? The scent of blood seemed to have wiped his memory.

Oh yeah, now he remembered.

"_What do you mean?" Goku asked timidly as his brows furrowed in confusion, attempting to understand what it was the demon was trying to tell him. His eyes trailed back down to the orb in front of him, the large glowing Egg looked as though it was made of glass and swam with a purplish light. It was so beautiful, Goku felt the need to simply keep it for himself and hide it away. It was infectious. _

_Seiten Taisei smiled softly at him, recognizing the expression on Goku's face. "This is called the Egg of Genesis, Goku. It's a special Egg." _

_Goku let his eyes trail back up to his alter-ego, brows furrowing in confusion. "An egg?" he echoed. "It looks like a gem." _

_Seiten smiled, approaching the egg and laying a hand gently on top of it. "Yes. It's an egg. It's similar to what we were born out of." Goku shot him a confused look and Seiten merely smiled. "There's a subtle difference with this one. Whereas our egg was fertilized with the earth's aura, this one will be fertilized with something else." _

_Goku slid off his spot on the log, and carefully approached the egg. Placing his hands to it, he could feel the warmth radiating under his fingers. Looking back up to the brown-haired demon, he smiled. "If we fertilized it, what would be born?" _

_Seiten returned the smile. "Her name is Lilith. She would be our sister," pausing, he turned his attention back down to the egg below him. "And I plan to fertilize this egg and hatch her. It's part of how we're going to cleanse the world. She'll help us, because that's what she was born to do." _

_Goku smiled happily, running his fingers over the smooth texture. "What do we need to fertilize her?" _

"_One thousand human souls." _

_Goku's eyes snapped up to meet Seiten Taisei's, the smile slipping from his lips as his hands drew reflexively away from it. "What?" he cried out, a little too quickly. _

_Seiten frowned at Goku's actions, leaning forwards the take his hands and place them back on the orb. "They don't have to be good souls, Goku," he told him softly, attempting to remain as soothing as possible. "We can use the souls of evil people. That way, Lilith will know what to destroy when she is born." _

"_I…. I know, but…" Goku's eyes trailed off and he bit his lip anxiously. _

_Seiten could not help but crack a smile, finding the expression absolutely adorable on his lover's face. Leaning forwards, he placed a kiss to his lips. "It'll be okay," Seiten told him, before stealing another kiss. "The ends will always justify the means." _

"_What doe_s _that… mean…?" Goku asked softly. He found his answer somewhere in Seiten's mouth. _

Another whip of his staff and another man fell. Suddenly the mounds of men around him were gone, and there was nothing but blood and bodies, along with a strange light that seemed to hover over all the corpses. Goku stared through half-lidded eyes, his mind still muddled by the overpowering scent of blood. Turning his attention to Seiten, he watched as the demon pulled out the Egg of Genesis, grinning like mad as he held the purplish orb out in front of him. Suddenly all the light—or souls, as Goku assumed—shot towards Seiten like bullets. There could've only been about a hundred of them, but they all slammed into the egg simultaneously, with enough force to send Seiten shooting backwards.

As soon as all the souls were absorbed, Goku quickly headed over towards his blood-cloaked lover.

Seiten was grinning as he ran his hands over the orb. "Look Goku," he breathed. "The egg, don't you see, it a bit lighter now. The egg… when it's fertilized, it'll be pink. And then… and then we'll have saved everything Goku. And it'll be you and me… forever…"

The blood seemed to have been affecting Seiten Taisei's mind as well, though in a different way then Goku. Seiten almost seemed drunk on the scent and his incoherent mumbling and stumbling only seemed to prove that. Seiten dropped the egg suddenly, allowing it to fall to the ground with a soft thump. Reaching out, the demon brought Goku into a ferocious kiss, biting his lips until he drew blood. Goku didn't mind the soft sting, and attempted to keep up with Seiten's animalistic side.

Seiten Taisei suddenly broke out, gripping Goku's hands as he spun him into his arms. Laughing loudly, he began to twirl and spin his lover until the two fell into a strange dance that was all their own. Goku could feel the blood under his feet, soaking into his clothes and his skin. He could feel the bodies and sense where he'd have to step over yet another. The entire scene should have been mortifying, but in a strange sense it was calming and exciting.

Seiten laughed as he spun Goku again. Colors and senses were all blurring to him, and he had no idea which was up anymore. Seiten pulled him back into his arms, licking a portion of his neck before biting down, hard enough to draw blood. Goku allowed the territorial mark. Seiten leaned up against his ear, his breath airily light as he said, "Let's dance the dance of death, Goku. While the world falls to ruin around us."

Goku's muddled mind was unable to decipher the true meaning behind the words, as Seiten spun him out again, and their twisted dance of death resumed.

And as the world turned to a blur of red around him, Goku found all he could do was laugh.

---

They had no idea where Goku would be, but they had to start somewhere.

So, early that morning they all piled into Jeep and headed out. They had no idea where they were going, so they headed out towards the closest village to start asking about them. For several hours, they got nowhere, until they caught wind of a massacre some miles upwards. It was a group of bandits that had been traveling around killing and robbing. Apparently someone slew them all over night. The people rejoiced, though Sanzo wasn't so sure if they should be rejoicing.

It was only a few hours' drive, and without any other leads they headed towards it.

Sanzo had sat in the front seat, staring out at the scenery pass them by. It was unnaturally silent as Hakkai drove, and Gojyo smoked quietly in the back seat. It was soothing, but something in the pit of his stomach told him that this was wrong. This silence was wrong somehow. As much as Sanzo hated to admit it, they needed the monkey's presence there. He just... added something. Did something no one else could do. Sanzo had yet to find out what that "something" was.

Gojyo and Hakkai had been curious towards Seiten Taisei and Goku, but Sanzo offered them nothing. He didn't owe them anything, and they wisely kept quiet about it.

He was not worried about some stupid murder-worthy primate. He was just annoyed that the brat he had saved and fed and clothed had decided just to run off without notice. Sanzo probably wouldn't have minded if the boy had told him he was leaving. Hell, he probably would've rejoiced and given the brat a suitcase and some money if that would've gotten him to leave faster.

He was not concerned about the brat. Hell, he probably wouldn't even bring him back. If the brat wanted to fuck around, then by all means. Sanzo would just deliver a few "goodbye smacks" and leave. Hakkai and Gojyo would be against it but he didn't give a damn what they thought. It was his fucking monkey, and he could keep it or let it go if he wanted to. Weren't monkeys supposed to live in the wild anyway? Not cooped up inside temple walls. Goku was probably happier this way anyway. It was going to be… quiet without him. But he'd learn the get over it.

Fuck, he was not getting attached _damnit!!_

By the time they got to the site, it was beginning to grow dark. They had pulled up towards it, and Jeep had given a soft 'kyuu.' Sanzo didn't blame it. The entire site was soaked in blood. The scent was so strong; even though most of it had dried Sanzo could still smell it. And there were bodies everywhere. It looked like most had been dumped in a pile, and a dim campfire was set up a ways away. Sanzo had practically jumped out of the jeep, taking a few hesitant steps forwards when he spotted when looked like Goku. But then on closer inspection Sanzo realized the pointed claws and devilish eyes belonged to none other then Seiten Taisei.

He had to remember the Goddess' words. Seiten Taisei and Goku were separate. But then… where was Goku? Had Seiten Taisei already killed him? Sanzo grit his teeth at the thought, and reached towards his gun.

As though Seiten Taisei had finally sensed their presence, he looked up. Sanzo could see the demon's expression harden and he shakily stood up, stumbling for some reason. Suddenly he was in front of them, and Sanzo took a step back in surprise. He could hear either Gojyo or Hakkai breathe Goku's name, and Seiten's eyes snapped over them to silence them.

"Sanzo..." the demon hissed, causing the blond's eyes to go wide. He had never heard Seiten Taisei speak before, and had always been under the impression he couldn't. Seiten's eyes trailed back over to him and he kept his expression hard, attempting to stare the demon down. That would prove useless. "I should kill you where you stand."

"Where's Goku?" Sanzo snapped.

The demon let out a string of humorless chuckles. "You don't deserve to know. You have no right to know. Now leave, before I cut out your throats."

"You killed a goddess," Sanzo snapped back, eyes sharp and accusing.

Seiten let a bloodthirsty smile catch his lips. "That I did. Your end will be similar if you do not leave."

"Why do you need Goku?" Sanzo snapped. "What are you trying to gain?"

"That is not for you to know."

The rustling of branches caught everyone's attention. Four pairs of eyes snapped to watch as Goku stumbled through the foliage. Goku looked rumpled; his hair was matted with blood that Sanzo prayed wasn't his own. His clothes looked torn and he seemed to have lost a bit of weight, but otherwise it was the same dim-witted, innocent, golden-eyed boy he'd lost over a week ago. Sensing the tension, Goku looked up from the fish in his hands, and paused. Golden eyes met violet and in that moment time froze.

"Sanzo…" Goku whispered, allowing the fish to slip through his fingers and fall to the ground. Seiten glanced between the pair, who seemed lost within each other.

"Goku," Seiten commanded suddenly, causing Goku's eyes to flicker towards his. The demon stepped away from Sanzo, heading towards him. "Let's go."

Goku looked reluctant for a moment, glancing between Seiten and Sanzo. Finally, he sighed through his nose, allowing a soft, sympathetic smile to cross his features. "I'm sorry, Sanzo."

If Sanzo thought to move, he could've reached out. Grabbed Goku. Punched Seiten. Done _something_. But instead, he merely stood there and stared as Seiten approached the boy, pulling him into a possessive hug and shooting Sanzo a victorious smirk before they phased out of the area.

But Sanzo just stood there and stared, long after the pair had disappeared.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Rating: **M

**Paring: **ST/Goku

**Warnings: **Swearing, a bit of blood, **Lemon!**

**A/N: **Here's the first lemon between Seiten and Goku. If you want to skip it, just skip down to the '---' I hope some people read it, because I tried hard on that. XD Anyway, I'm sorry for the long wait, but life smacked me hard. I hope you enjoy the juicy SeitenxGoku action to make up for it.

C&C appreciated.

* * *

**Eternal Earth**

**Chapter Nine**

Goku had never been more grateful to come across water in his entire life.

The blood was becoming unbearable. The smell had long ago stopped affecting him, but where it dried to his skin it itched terribly. So when he and Seiten had discovered the waterfall and the pool below it, Goku almost tore his clothes apart in his haste.

The past few days had been painful. Leaving Sanzo was one of the hardest decisions he'd ever had to make. When he saw the man, standing there, emotions bare in his violet eyes Goku was almost tempted—more then tempted—to just run back to Chang'an with the man, apologize for even considering abandoning him and pretend nothing ever happened. Just seeing the man had broken down everything. His sun had come to find him, wasn't that enough for him? But when Seiten Taisei had stepped forwards, calling his name, everything that he had done andthe promises he'd made came shooting back at him. It was painful enough to cause him to double over.

He had made a promise with Seiten, hadn't he? Didn't he say that he would help him make the world a better place, for everybody? Sanzo would understand, and if he didn't, then at least Goku could create a safe and peaceful world for him to live in. Maybe Sanzo could be happy in that world, even if Goku had to give up his life to achieve it. Though a part of him later assumed that the scent of the blood affected his decision, but he couldn't be sure.

But something deep within Goku's chest told him that this was wrong, that he'd done something truly unforgivable. He'd been trying to deal with the conflicting thoughts bounding about in his head, and the waterfall seemed like a nice way to relax after a long and painful few days.

Goku had his shirt already off, jumping out of his pants as he raced towards the pool. Somehow he managed to tangle up in his own pants, falling into the water with an ungraceful splash. Seiten simply watched him resurface—still fighting with the tangled jeans—and smirked. Casually walking to the water's edge, he stripped his own bloodied clothes and slipped into the water, placing the Egg down near them in case someone attempted to steal it.

Goku ran his fingers through his hair, rejoicing in the feel of the water washing away all the blood on his hands. Strangely, the idea of the death he caused didn't bother him as much as it should have. Shaking the water droplets free of his hair, he grinned, turning to his alter-ego who was partly submerged in water, purring. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be enjoying the feel of the water all around him. Grinning devilishly, Goku approached the demon, swimming up in front of him. Feeling the change of the water flow, Seiten Taisei cracked open a single golden eye and watched him. "Don't even think about it," he told the boy in a strict, no-nonsense tone.

"Why not?" Goku whined, playing with the water in front of him. "Splash fights are fun."

"You'd lose," Seiten Taisei warned him, the words ending in a soft purr of enjoyment.

Goku's features screwed up in a childish pout. "Would not." With his pride on the line, Goku splashed the demon in front of him. Seiten shook out the water from his long hair, a mix between a growl and a purr forming in his throat. Before Goku could make his grand escape, Seiten lunged, pushing the boy's head underwater and watching him flail. After finally letting the boy up, Goku began coughing and laughing, both actions depriving him of air.

"Okay, okay!" Goku cried, coughing the last of the water from his lungs. "I see your point."

Seiten watched as he attempted to brush soaked strands from his eyes, a smirk catching on his lips. He couldn't wait any longer, he wanted Goku now. Pulling the boy forwards, he crushed his lips against his. Goku's surprise was evident, giving Seiten Taisei the upper hand. Gripping the boy's arms tightly, he began to dominate the kiss, before Goku pushed back with as much intensity as his boyish charm would allow. Seiten relished in the thought that he was able to dominate his young lover so completely, and that seemed all right with the boy.

Pulling apart, Goku grinned suggestively. "What're yah doing?" he asked softly, stealing a simple kiss and tugging on the demon's hair, a habit the boy had developed during his time in heaven. Seiten Taisei did not discourage the act.

"You're mine, Goku, in every sense of the word," to emphasize his words, Seiten gave the boy's wrist a small squeeze, where the kanji was still scarred into his flesh. "I want to prove it to you."

Goku pulled away enough to look into the demon's eyes, confusion and interest drawn into his features. They had not gone any farther then touching and kissing, and Seiten assumed Goku couldn't even imagine going past that. Sex was beyond Goku, but it was a different story to his alter-ego. Seiten needed it, craved it, and mostly, he wanted it with the boy who'd inhabited his mind since the first day they'd stuck a limiter on him. But he would not force it on the boy, he would not rape him; for Seiten loved, worshiped, and rejoiced simply in being with the boy. Though a part of him knew that Goku would never turn down physical contact. The boy craved it like a drug.

Slowly, as predicted, the boy nodded. "Okay," he whispered against the demon's lips, stealing another kiss. "Show me."

Without waiting another second, Seiten dove into the lustful cavern of Goku's mouth. His tongue taunted and played with Goku's until it was playing with his own. His hands began to slip down towards Goku's ass, squeezing as a jolt of fire ran through his veins. He was hard as hell and hoped to god Goku wouldn't get skittish, because nothing was going to stop him now.

Grinding his erection towards Goku's, he managed to elicit a moan from the boy. Driving his heated flesh against Goku's, he felt his own groan escape his lips, which slowly trailed off into a purr. Seiten watched the way Goku's eyes almost rolled back in his head, and grinned mischievously. Reaching down, he grabbed the boy's half-hard member and squeezed. This caused a groan to work its way through Goku's throat. Seiten swallowed the sounds as he pushed his lips to Goku's, sucking his tongue as his hand stroked his cock.

Moving from the boy's lips he began to move down his jaw, licking and biting at his tanned skin. The sounds the boy was making was driving the primal instincts in Seiten off the wall. Goku let out a sudden scream as Seiten roughened his strokes. A sly grin made his way onto his face as he felt Goku reach his peak. He had a feeling that Sanzo could probably hear Goku's sounds of ecstasy miles away, and was unable to do anything about it. Who knew, maybe Sanzo was close by, and he would run to them at the sounds Goku was emitting. And if the monk dared to round those trees he wouldn't hesitate to rip out his throat, whether or not Goku was watching. Sanzo would not take this away from him.

Goku was shuddering against him, his forehead pressed to the demon's shoulder as his skin flushed. His climax was close, and Seiten would be damned if it ended so soon. Seiten released his hold on the boy, and it took Goku a moment to respond. He lay still for a moment, only moaning in annoyance when Seiten moved him. He only had to drag him a few feet, towards the shallow end of the pool before laying the boy down and straddling his waist. Goku's hazy golden eyes looked up at him in lustful anticipation, and in that moment, Seiten thought he would burst. But, he reminded himself, it was Goku's first time, and he had to be gentle and all that crap.

He just wanted to screw the boy into something solid. Hard. Quick. And dirty.

Leaning down next to the boy's neck, he sucked on his earlobe before moving down to work on the boy's neck. His need continued to bump against Goku's, causing the boy to groan and grunt. "Pl-please… S-Seiten…" Goku managed to choke out, throwing his head back with a shameless moan as Seiten leaned down, grinding their groins together.

After managing to choke back his own groan, Seiten kissed the boy's neck again. "Yes, Goku?" he asked, as innocently as possible against the boy's skin.

Goku managed another moan; his hands gripped Seiten's arms as clipped fingernails bit into his skin. With one hand, he reached down and placed a single digit at Goku's puckered entrance. Muttering sweet nothings in the boy's ear, he pushed the finger inside. A groan penetrated the demon's ears, though it was more in pain then pleasure. Deciding to try something new, he moved, placing his lips to the head of Goku's cock. He kissed it, before opening his mouth and taking Goku's length in his mouth. This caused a new reaction from the boy as he arched up into Seiten's mouth, the pain long forgotten. As Seiten slipped the second finger in, he ran his tongue along the head of Goku's penis, eliciting a cry from him.

By the time Seiten had three fingers scissoring in and out of the boy, Goku was too delirious with pleasure to even realize it. He began to kiss Goku's already bruised lips as he began to massage the pre-cum down his length. He managed to gain a groan out of himself, before deciding he was fine with the make-shift lube. Positioning himself, he slowly began to slide into Goku's heat. As soon as he was completely sheathed within Goku's tight ass, he took a moment to breathe. It was… fucking marvelous. He barely noted Goku's small whimper of discomfort, his mind too muddled with pleasure to care. His claws punctured the skin on Goku's arm just enough to draw small beads of blood. He had been careful so far about harming the boy but at that point thoughts didn't make sense in his head anymore and the only thing he could think about was screwing Goku into the closest rock.

He began to move, slowly at first. Attempting to get a good position, more to ease Goku's discomfort, he managed to hit the perfect spot within Goku. The boy moaned loudly, arching off the ground while his eyes were blanketed with stars. Seiten didn't need to be told twice to hit that spot again. His pace sped up and his claws drew scratches along Goku's arms, but he could not think consciously enough to stop himself. The world was just one throb of nirvana around him, utmost ecstasy and pleasure. Hell, Sanzo could've walked in and shot him right then and there and he wouldn't have known the difference.

Goku's violent climax triggered his own, and for what felt like forever Seiten rode down the orgasm, eyes glazed as he stared off into a fantasy world. Finally, Seiten Taisei collapsed next to his lover, breathing irregularly. The shallow water around him barely licked up the sides of his stomach. He turned towards Goku, who was still heaving after the effect of his first sexual experience. Slowly, the boy's golden eyes closed, and his body seemed to go lax.

"Wow," the boy muttered after a moment, causing a smirk to blossom on Seiten's face.

Curling up next to the boy, he took a moment to lick a column on the boy's neck, purring. "You do know," Seiten Taisei murmured against his skin, causing shudders to run down Goku's spine. "That demons mate for life."

Goku laughed softly. "I realize that…" The boy's eyes closed and his breathing deepened, and for a moment Seiten wondered if the boy had fallen asleep, before a soft voice called his attention back down to the brunet. "You wouldn't… leave me, would you, Seiten?" The boy's words were slurred as exhaustion began to claim him.

Seiten stared at the boy a moment, before grabbing his hand and interlacing their fingers. He squeezed his hand, and Goku sleepily squeezed back. "Of course not," Seiten whispered, curling up comfortably next to the boy. "I'm not like Konzen, I would never leave you." His eyes narrowed as memories resurfaced. "I'm not like Sanzo…"

But by that time, Goku had already slipped into slumber.

---

It was a very difficult few days after the meeting. Gojyo and Hakkai had insisted on following Seiten and Goku, but Sanzo was clouded with thought. Not only with the fact that Seiten Taisei had split off from Goku, but with the fact that Goku had simply left with Seiten Taisei. The boy had never had a backbone. If Sanzo told him to do it, Goku did it like an obedient puppy. Goku's sudden rebellious side—if it could be called that—unnerved Sanzo in a way he didn't want to admit. Did this mean Goku didn't need him anymore? Was everything just over, like that?

Though among the questions, Sanzo found one standing out the most: Why did he care all of a sudden?

Their journey to look for Goku had stopped abruptly and the group had set themselves up in a small inn. Sanzo had been smoking more excessively then normal, locked up in his room and thinking things through. He still wasn't sure whether or not it was important enough to chase after Goku. The boy was gone, the nuisance left his life. Shouldn't he be happy?

It was sometime past midnight when Sanzo realized he was out of cigarettes. Unable to sleep courtesy of the turbulent thoughts in his head, Sanzo decided to head out to buy another couple cartons. Besides, the fresh air would do him some good. So, without bothering to inform Gojyo or Hakkai, he made his way out of the inn and down the street. He was keeping an eye out for some sort of convenience store that was still open. He was startled when a young blond haired man in pants an ancient Chinese-looking top approached him. The man had soft brown eyes as he waved, before bowing.

"It is an honor to be able to meet you, great Priest Sanzo."

"Make a point or get lost," Sanzo replied coldly as he continued walking, eyes searching for his desired spot.

The young blond was quick to follow him, walking next to him with his hands in his sleeves. "I was just wondering what a high ranking monk like yourself was doing so far away from Chang'an?" At Sanzo's critical look, the man simply offered a smile. "I heard that was where you were residing, Priest Sanzo."

Sanzo snorted, turning his eyes forwards once again. "I was heading home," he replied coldly, picking up the pace in the hopes that the man would catch his intention and leave him alone.

Unfortunately, the man only increased his speed to catch up with him. "Really?" the man replied with obvious interest. "Then… what about Goku?"

At the mention of his charge's name, Sanzo stopped dead. Turning towards the blond next to him, his gaze hardened into a look of pure hatred, though the young man looked completely unaffected. He continued to beam like an idiot until finally Sanzo spoke. "Who are you?"

"The one and only Xuanzang at your service, Priest Sanzo," Xuan bowed again, before allowing the smile to slip from his face as he watched Sanzo through deep brown eyes. "I just came to ask about your decision about Goku."

"My decision concerning Goku is none of your business!" Sanzo barked strictly, feeling his frustration rise at the stranger who dared to address him about his problems. Who did this guy think he was anyway?

As Sanzo attempted to turn and storm off, Xuan spoke. A solemn expression lined his features as he took in Sanzo's back, refusing to follow. "Are you running, Sanzo?"

The priest turned to him, hatred marring his features. "Wha—"

"You're running." Xuan repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared Sanzo down with a glare that could match the priest's in intensity. "Goku is in serious trouble and you're abandoning him. I thought you were his keeper."

"What the hell gives you the right to start talking about my life?" Sanzo barked, fists clenching at his sides as he shook with rage. He wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up about this. It was true, wasn't it? Maybe he simply didn't like it being spoken aloud.

"Because I have a little monkey in my care as well," Xuan replied coldly. "And once, a long time ago, he was in a similar situation with different circumstances and I didn't abandon him. But you, Sanzo, I doubt you will be able to save him."

Xuan finally offered his hand, smiling softly. All his anger seemed to drain away to reveal understanding and compassion. "Come on Sanzo, I'll buy you a drink."

---

The next morning when Sanzo had still not come back to his room, Gojyo and Hakkai began searching the entire inn and surrounding shops. Deciding that the man had probably gone out to buy more cigarettes, they waited for his return.

Sanzo arrived back at the inn sometime after noon looked disheveled. His hair was a tattered mess and his robes were covered in dirt. He smelt heavily of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke, but his eyes shone brightly with determination and pride. A small smirk caught his lips as Hakkai and Gojyo came to stand next to him, but he shrugged off his help. Instead, he stood, turning to both of them.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he proclaimed with a voice that was strong despite his ragged appearance.

"Where would we go, Sanzo?" Hakkai asked, curiosity drawn into his brow as he watched the monk.

Sanzo laughed sarcastically, leaning heavily on the doorframe. "Where else?" he asked, violet eyes gleaming with mischievous intent. "To find Goku."


	10. Chapter Ten

**Eternal Earth **

**Chapter Ten**

It was unusual that Homura would find himself called into Heaven. Normally he was only called in twice a year to give his reports on what he'd been doing, leaving the rest of his time free. He wasn't invited to parties and the like, since he was a heretic and people would rather he stayed on Earth and out of sight than in Heaven. Homura never had a problem with this. It allowed him time to figure out what he was going to do about destroying Heaven and Earth and creating his new world, all his own.

In only a few years, it would be possible. He would be able to break away from heaven and destroy everything that had wronged him. The world was too imperfect; there was nothing they could do to fix it anymore. Homura knew that the only thing he could do was tear it down and start over.

He had thought about refusing to show up to Heaven when he was summoned; the idiots had to find out sooner or later that he was working against them. However, Shien had pointed out that if they found out too early what they were planning, and then it would only cause their destruction. Slightly annoyed, Homura had returned to heaven to find out what they wanted from him.

To say that he was surprised to find what he did was an understatement.

Heaven was practically in ruins. There was blood and carnage everywhere, and the stench of death was unbearable. Part of the Jade Emperor's palace had collapsed in on itself, and smoke was billowing up from the courtyard where they were burning bodies. For a moment, Homura stared at the beautiful world that was painted with blood. There had only been one other time when Heaven had ever been so devastated—when Seiten Taisei had been freed and massacred hundreds of gods.

It was kind of... Homura shook the thoughts from his head as he crossed the yards over towards the Jade Emperor's palace. He made his way through the long hallways, towards the throne room. The more he passed, the more he realized what exactly he had been called in for. Homura was still a War Prince and he would probably be expected to seek out and kill the beast that had caused so much ruin. Homura grit his teeth uncomfortably, however carried on.

His coat billowed behind him like a large cape, and the grip his shoulders at least made him feel slightly comforted. It always had been his security blanket, right back to his imprisonment. With each step he took, his chains clanked, reminding him that despite everything, he was still bound to this place.

When he arrived in the throne room, he really should have been surprised to find the entire thing soaked with blood. There was a stain in the center of the room, looking absolutely horrendous. By that point it had already stained the floor, and probably would never come out. There were cracks in the walls and signs of a struggle. The large golden throne the Jade Emperor prided himself off had been carelessly thrown to the ground. More than that, Homura noticed the hidden compartment behind the throne was open, and the precious Egg of Genesis was missing.

For a moment, Homura stared in wonder. However, he managed to come back to himself when he heard the Jade Emperor clear his throat He turned his head to the side, finding the old man standing to his left, several guards beside him and towards the left entrance, where they seemed to be cleaning up more carnage.

"Homura," the man said in a gruff, demanding voice. It made the War Prince flinch slightly on the inside.

"Your Majesty," Homura mumbled with a hint of bitterness as he bowed his head.

"I suppose by now you know why I have called you here," the Jade Emperor replied as he placed his hands on his back, looking out towards the throne room once more. "Heaven was attacked in your absence. We would have called for you sooner; however the destruction you see was caused in less than four hours."

Homura's brows rose at the mere idea, turning to look around the room again. "Also," the Emperor continued. "The Merciful Goddess is missing and presumed dead." Homura's head whirled around to look at the man, shock written clear across his features. Kanzeon was no push over, so whatever had taken her down must've been one hell of a fighter. "We're planning on sending all of the heavenly army after him. Your job is to find him and gauge his power. Then report back and we will set up an army to go with you to take him down. Do not attack unless you have a clear shot at killing him."

"Understood," Homura said with a small bow. "Do you know what he looks like?"

"We know exactly who he is," the Jade Emperor said briskly, placing his hands behind his back. "It was that dreadful monster, Seiten Taisei."

Homura blinked as the words tried to make sense in his mind. Seiten Taisei? He hadn't seen the beast in five hundred years, since Goku, Konzen, Kenren and Tenpou had all lived peacefully in Heaven. About a million questions all bounced around in his head, but with the look in the Jade Emperor's eyes, he knew that this conversation was over. He instead bowed at the waist, before turning and heading for the door.

"Homura," the man called once more, causing Homura to freeze. "Do me one more favour. Bring back the Egg of Genesis. Unfertilized."

Homura knew what having the Egg missing from heaven meant. He also wondered what Seiten Taisei could possibly want with the egg. It didn't speak to his character; didn't make sense.

"Of course sir," Homura mumbled before he stepped out of the throne room and made his way back down towards Earth.

--

_Zzzt... kkkkkkkkk... zip. _

"_My Lord? I'm in position._"

"_Good. Lirin? Dokugakuji? Are you ready?_"

"_Roger! Little Lirin is in position!_"

"..._zzzzzzzz ckh. Yup. We're good over here Kou. Waiting for your orders_."

"_Excellent. Hold perfectly still until I give the signal._"

Kougaiji swept his gaze over the forest they found themselves in. The entire place was dark and had almost a feeling of hostility hovering about it, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. Kougaiji knew that the sun was shining brightly, however the trees over head seemed to grow together, blocking out all light.

It almost seemed fitting. Everywhere he went it seemed there were bodies or evidence of a struggle. The forest was littered with the corpses of people from a nearby town who seemed to have strayed too far into the woods and was attacked. When Kougaiji and Yaone had stepped into the town to ask about the creature dwelling in the forest, the people had told them all about how horrific a being it was. They had sent many parties in to destroy it, but none of them had come back alive. From the description, Kougaiji had reasoned that it was the very beast they were after, and set out to track it down.

As he made his way silently through the bushes, he could only reason that this entire escapade was ridiculous. He was supposed to be back at Houtou castle, preparing for the revival. Things were slowly coming into place and Kougaiji new that he was supposed to be there, not here, rummaging around in the woods searching for some stupid crazed demon.

However, when he thought back on it, even Kougaiji had to admit that he was slightly afraid. They had heard of massacres all across the country, and Gyoukumen Koushu demanded they look into it. When Nii had checked up on his computers and searched for what could be causing the trouble, he'd frozen.

Nii disgusted Kougaiji, in more ways than one. He was terribly confident and knew precisely what he was doing. However, when he read the screen, his normally confident face went slack, and all the color drained from his skin. His eyes had widened and his cigarette had fallen from his lips.

Then, he began to laugh. It was the kind of creaking, fucked-up laughter of a madman. He then picked up his bunny and walked away. No explanation. Nothing. To see Nii, possibly the most powerful and insane human being he ever met, truly frightened... Kougaiji knew he couldn't let this sit. He figured it would be easy to take care of a simple demon before it became a nuisance.

However, as he was making his way through the trees, he came upon its camp sight. He had been expecting to a bloodthirsty monster, and had been prepared fully to attack. Instead, al he found was a young boy sitting by a small fire. The boy could've passed for a human save for the odd scent and the strange, golden colored eyes.

The boy looked up from where he was seated next to the fire. When Kougaiji caught his eyes, he realized that something was wrong. Something had clouded his vision, swimming just beneath the surface. Something about this boy's mind had snapped, or broken, or cracked. Something wasn't right.

Kougaiji and the brown-haired boy stared at each other for a long moment. All of a sudden, Kougaiji could hear whispers, ghosts of conversations that never were.

"_Leaving so soon? Why don't you come and stay a while!" _

"_So we meet again, Sanzo-ikkou. I'm here for my sister. Give her back!" _

"_Don't talk to us like we're kidnappers! She came after us!" _

"_Who are you fighting for? What's driving you to make you so powerful?!" _

"_I don't know what the heck you're talking about! This—This is all for me!" _

"_I only need a few seconds. Keep it still and it'll be a dead hit. Got that? Just don't get in the way." _

"_Sure... Just don't miss, 'kay?" _

"_Shuddup and go!" _

"_Kougaiji! Quit it! _

_Stop hesitating. What don't you understand? I'm not your friend, I'm your enemy, dimwit. No! Don't touch Sanzo! Goku, get out of the way! You got it, Kougaiji! I'm out of regrets. This time, I'm fighting for myself... You kill me first, ifIwinyougivemethematenscripture.YouknowIwon'tlose.I'minterestedinsettlingthis, Gokumakeyourchoice.Justdon'tcrywhenIbreakyou, monkey.You'regonnabetheonecryin'! _

The words and conversations between the two men swirled and swirled until there was nothing but a mass of words and sounds all grating together. Kougaiji winced, blinking about of his stupor.

Only then did he hear the buzzing coming from his headset. He placed two fingers to his ear, feeling his blood go cold.

"_...zzzzzzzzz...z... Kougaiji? Big brother? S-somebody... p-please help!_"

Then Kougaiji could hear a blood curdling scream come through the headset, echoing through the forest. Lirin's piercing cry echoed through the area, causing his entire body to shut down.

The boy blinked, letting his head dip slightly. "I told him not to do it," he said quietly, barely heard by the Demon Prince.

Kougaiji didn't bother to pay any attention to him. He turned and bolted through the woods, searching for his sister. His heart was pounding in his ears and his eyes were wide and picked. He couldn't let Lirin die. Not now. He was supposed to be her protector, her big brother. How could he be so stupid? How could he let this happen? How...

As he stopped in the clearing that Lirin had been stationed in, he found Yaone and Dokugakuji had already arrived. Standing over Lirin's prone form was Seiten Taisei, the beast they had been hunting. He looked rather bored. He was sitting behind Lirin, one leg possessively thrown over her body as he rested his chin in his hands. He stared straight at Kougaiji with a bored look on his face. Then his lips curled into a smile.

"You've disturbed my day off," Seiten said slowly, his voice rumbling from deep within his chest. "Such a pity."

--

Seiten and Goku had been enjoying a relaxing morning in the forest they had kept themselves in for some time. They had been slowly killing off villagers that had wandered into the woods, feeding their souls to the egg and watching as gradually, it became lighter and lighter. Goku had no idea how many more souls they needed, however Seiten had merely said they'd know. After that, apparently they'd have to do a few other things before it was fertilized, then they could take it to Mount Kaka. And then, as Seiten said, it would all be over.

Goku had tried to convince his lover to take the day off. Goku was tired of fighting and didn't want Seiten to kill anyone today. He just wanted to enjoy a normal day. As normal as they could get, really. Seiten had seemed reluctant, not wanting to delay them any longer, but had agreed.

However, sometime after noon Seiten had picked up on the scent of intruders. He had ignored them at first, but had picked up the harmful intention that almost seemed to walk with them. He had told Goku that he would merely go and get rid of them, before leaving.

He had stalked the demons that dared to enter his forest. Seiten was not in the mood for anyone to enter his territory, and his territory happened to be anywhere he and his mate inhabited. He had watched the four of them before he had finally picked his prey. He'd decided to attack the noisy little girl who seemed so full of herself. She had tried to fight back, overconfident. Seiten had broken one of her ankles, and from there she tried to get serious. Even if she hadn't been injured, she wouldn't have been able to lay a scratch on Seiten. Without a care, he used his claws, leaving several mean gashes along her skin before breaking her back. The pain had knocked her out, not to mention she had let out a blood-curdling scream when she did so.

Which left Seiten in his current position. Her friends had luckily shown up, which was good. He promised Goku he wouldn't kill anyone today. Not to mention they were demons, he would have no use for their souls anyway.

He'd waited until their leader appeared before he let a smile curl on his lips. "You've disturbed my day off," he said, nudging at the body beneath him with his foot. "Such a pity."

"You bastard!" he red-headed leader roared, looking as though he was about to charge him. The bulky bodyguard put his hand out, stopping him.

"Settle down, Kougaiji. You'll get nothing by attacking him," he said wisely.

"He's right, you know," Seiten said, unable to hide his arrogance as he shoved the young girl's body over towards him without a care. "She's still alive. Just some mild bleeding. But her back's broken. You might want to fix that."

The three of them before him stood absolutely still. They probably figured that if they moved to collect their friend he might kill them. Seiten rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I promised someone I wouldn't take any lives today. However, if you don't do something, she will become paralyzed." He paused, a frown twisting on his lips. "Come to think of it, if you don't hurry up and get the hell out of here, I will kill you all."

Kougaiji, as the other man had called him, bent down to collect the orange-haired girl's body. She looked fragile and broken in his arms, and by the grimace on his face, he didn't look pleased at all. "I will be back," the indigo-eyed man swore, gritting his teeth together. "And I will kill you."

"I'd be disappointed if I never saw you again," Seiten replied honestly, watching as the four of them disappeared without a sound.

--

It had only taken Homura a few days to track down Seiten Taisei and the Egg of Genesis. He's crossed the demon on his so-called 'day off' catching the confrontation between the rabbit prince and the earth's child.

He had been surprised by a number of things, the first being the fact that Seiten and Goku were no longer bound by the same body. The second being that Seiten seemed much more calculating than before. This was not the monster that had ripped through Heaven like a penny through wet paper. This creature had had time to sit, and let the anger and pain stew until he had come up with a plan to get revenge on _everyone_.

Not just the gods it seemed, but everyone who did him wrong.

Homura found this intriguing. He watched the young demon as he made his way back towards his encampment, wondering, idly, if he could use this situation to his advantage.

With these new thoughts to ponder, the demi-god quietly slipped from the tree he was hiding in and disappeared. He had much to think about.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long to get up. I lost all inspiration to write this story. But never fear, I promise I will finish it! This chapter is dedicated to purpleicicles for drawing me a lovely picture of Sanzo at the end of chapter nine. If you'd like to see it, drop me a line.

C&C appreciated!


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